Quake
by ServicePrivacy
Summary: What would one do if they have the power to destroy the world? Well, check out this blonde kid, he's the definition of that. Warning-FairyTailxNaruto and some One Piece. Devil Fruit Naruo and Haki Erza. AU. OOC Naruto.
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

_Heartless purple eyes stared at him coldly. His body trembled in fear as all the nerves in his system died slowly one by one. His blue eyes wavered as he looked into the man's own. The man looked exactly just like him, but older. There were two spiky horns sticking out of his forehead, making him look like some kind of god._

 _He was about to ask who this individual was, but couldn't as his voice died in his throat. The monstrous scream of a beast could be heard behind the cell in the dark sewer, telling him to run, to get away._

 _But he himself couldn't move._

 _He was too scared_

 _"I'm sorry, but to save this world. A sacrifice must be made," The purple eyed man lifted up one of his hand, "Now... you and I will be switching places,"_

 _The man's voice was chilly as winter. He did not get to make a move as time stopped._

 _And before he knew it._

 _His head was already sliced off by death itself._

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Blue eyes flashed opened as the gasping sounds escaped the mouth. A blonde haired child around the age of thirteen sat up and looked around the empty prison cell before a tired sigh escaped his mouth. He shivered when he felt the coldness seeped through his body, the boy hugged his knees as he tried to keep himself warm as much as possible.

" _Was that a dream, or a memory_?" The boy questioned himself before looking around once more.

He was all by himself, the guards kept him separated from the other slaves. Every day, they would come and get him, putting chains on his ankles and wrists to prevent him from escaping when it is time for work. The blonde gritted his teeth as he sat back against the cold walls of the prison cell. He doesn't know who he was, other than his name, Naruto. All of his memories were blank, he couldn't remember anything. There were times when he would see images and sounds in his sleep, but they were too blurry and hard to listen to. Naruto sighed and looked up at the colourless ceiling, how long has he been here, inside of this tower.

The blonde squinted his eyes when sun lights peeked through one of the tiny holes in the walls, he stood up, staggering towards it and peered through the hole, only to squint even more as the morning sun's ray met his eyes. Naruto ignored the feeling and continued to look straight ahead, the sun looked so gorgeous and free, it was the only source that kept him alive. He wanted to escape this place and live freely, doing whatever he wants without anything holding him back.

The blonde was cut out of his thoughts when the sound of footsteps and chuckling echoed throughout the area. Naruto furrowed his eyebrows as his eyes became untamed. It was them, the guards. The blonde slowly turned around and glared at them from the corner of his eyes.

"Oi, It's time to work," One of them said mischievously as he inserted the key into the cell's keyhole.

Naruto tensed his body as the cell's door opened wide. He clenched his fists tightly and sprang forward, straight towards masked guard with his fist pulled back. The blonde didn't make it far when he felt something hot pierced through his shoulder, he lost his balance and fell to his knees, clutching tightly onto his injured shoulder.

"Aargh!"

Naruto bit his lip as he felt the pain rushed through him, blood started to seep down his shoulder and staining his rags. The blonde painfully looked up, he widened his eyes when he spotted a Magic circle in front one of the guard's extended hand. Gritting his teeth, he glared hatefully at them.

"Oi, don't use your Magic on him, the boss would be pissed if he dies," The guard watching from the outside said, causing the other to scoff.

"Hmph, he always does this, this bastard doesn't know where he stands around here. Besides, he won't die, just look at him," He stated and pointed his finger at the blonde. The two guards watched as the wound on Naruto's shoulder started to heal, "See, what'd I tell ya, he'll just heal himself right away, he won't die,"

The blonde slowly stood up as he felt the pain on his shoulder faded away. He was quite thankful for his regeneration ability, he had it for as long as he could remember, and if it wasn't for it, he would have been dead a long time ago. The blonde was about to lash out at them but was cut off when a hand swiftly snatched a tuft of his hair and yanked him down, face flat on the cold ground. Blood dripped down from Naruto's shattered nose as he struggled to get up. He widened his eyes and squirmed violently when he felt a cold metal, locked onto his ankles and wrists.

They were handcuffs.

The blonde gritted his teeth in frustration as the guard pulled him by the hair and threw him outside the cell. He crashed against the solid walls, so hard that his spine shattered slightly. With his fists tightened, Naruto's jaw clenched as he tried to bore the pain. He gasped for air before he painfully turned his head towards the two guards, his eyes narrowed when he spotted them making their way towards him.

He slowly crawled back up, ignoring the sharp pain in his shattered spine. He couldn't do anything against them, he was weak. Naruto was cut out of his thoughts when one of the guards put a metal chain like collar onto his neck. He flinched in displeasure when he felt the coldness touched his skin.

"Come on, get up!" The guard yanked the chain, forcing the blonde to staggered forward.

When Naruto felt his spine healed, he gritted his teeth in anger. He felt so pathetic. Cutting out of his misery, he felt the chain pulled him forward, and before he knew it, he was being guided down the empty, dark corridor. He let out a small painful sound when he felt the sharp pebbles on the ground dug into his feet. This was a daily routine for him, walking through these depressing corridors. Naruto looked to the side when the sounds of sobbing were heard, his eyes dimmed down when he spotted women inside of the prison cell nearby. Most of them were naked and… pregnant, he knew what they were just by looking at them…

Sex slaves, only here just for the guards to play with.

The blonde clenched his fists and grimaced in disgust as he turned away, trying to ignore the anxiety feeling. He truly hated this place, it made him sick. After minutes of walking, the trio came into an opening. Naruto squinted his eyes, trying to adjust the brightness. A frown appeared on his face as he looked at the sight before him.

It was an underground construction site.

He frowned even more as he spotted slaves, lifting heavy boulders and digging tunnels with their skinny, half dead body. Both young and old, some of them looked like they were going to faint any moment.

"Stop staring into space and get to work!" The guard yelled and yanked the chain, causing Naruto to stumbled forward.

The blonde bit his lower lip and did what he was told, he picked up a pickaxe from the ground and began to walk towards the working spot, where he had been working for as long as he could remember. He flinched slightly when he felt splinters dug into his hand as his hold tightened the grip, he ignored the feeling and began to dig into the walls.

There were guards everywhere around the construction site, watching the slaves do their work. Naruto continued to dig aimlessly for what seemed to be an eternity until a loud, agony scream rang throughout the construction site. All the guards and some of the slaves turned their attention towards the sound, only to see an elderly slave who fell onto his knees, groaning in pain. His body was skinny and could be seen trembling violently.

"Oi, get up!" The guard nearby yelled, lashing at the skinny slave.

The slaves ignored the ongoing scene with a frightened expression on their faces, they did not want to get involve, or rather, they did not want to get hurt. The slaves carried on doing what they were doing and trying their best to ignore the painful scream of torture.

Naruto frowned as he stared silently from the corner of his eyes at the scene before him, this was nothing new, this was how things worked around here, it was every man for himself. He scoffed silently before he carried on digging and ignoring the scream. The elderly man was probably going to die sooner or later, only an idiot would be stupid enough to try and stop the ongoing torture.

"Stop!"

The sound of high-pitched yell rang throughout the underground construction site, surprising everyone, especially the guards. All heads turned towards the sound, and people raised their eyebrows in surprise. Stood there defending the whimpering old man was a blue haired boy with strange looking tattoo on the left side of his face. He scowled at the guards before him as he stood his ground.

"That's enough! Couldn't you see that he can't work anymore?!" The blue haired boy exclaimed, making the masked guard loured.

"Why you little-," The guard was cut off when an elderly man showed up and pulled the boy back.

"Please forgive him, he has been working a little bit too much and is quite muzzy right now," The elderly man apologised, trying to get the boy out of trouble.

The blunette widened his eyes as he turned towards the older man, "But Rob-jiichan-," He stopped midway when he saw the look on the elderly man's face.

The blue haired boy clenched his hands into fists and looked down at his feet with a sullen expression on his face. This world was unfair.

The masked guard huffed loudly, catching the two's attention once more, "Since I'm feeling generous today, I will let you off just this once. But if you do that again, you will be punished," He stated before walking off, causing the slaves to sigh quietly in relieved.

Naruto stared from the corner of his eyes at the scene, the boy was lucky. If the old man hadn't come to save him, who knew what would happen. He turned around to look at his personal guards, only to see them staring at the scene as well, completely forgotten about him. The blonde widened his eyes slightly before slowly backing away, trying not to cause any sound. He successfully slipped away and sprinted towards the corner, and into the corridor. Naruto could feel his heart pumping rapidly as the feeling of hope grew over him. This was his chance of escaping, but he didn't know where to go nor where the exit was. He frowned as he paced through the gloomy corridors, he needed to find a place to hide, and maybe think about what to do next. The blonde slowed down as he came into a room, he guessed that it was a storage room or something since there were many old, wooden boxes around.

He looked around his surroundings before a sly smile appeared on his whiskered face, this was a good place to hide. Naruto's eyes became concentrated as he searched for a box that was big enough for him to hide inside, he came across one and was quite surprise by how big it was. The box could probably fit two or three kids his age at the same time. The blonde moved his hands onto the lid and slowly opened it, confusion was shown in his eyes as a strange looking fruit with weird, swirly patterns appeared before him, the colour was sky blue, kind of strange for a fruit in Naruto's opinion.

The blonde reached down a grabbed it, and inspected it for a while before deciding to throw it away. He stopped when his stomach rumbled loudly, he swallowed a lump of saliva in his throat before looking at it once more. He hasn't eaten anything since morning, and he was quite hungry. The guards only fed him one meal a day, and it wasn't enough. Naruto frowned as he looked at the light blue coloured fruit in his hand, maybe he could eat this? He wasn't really sure if it was edible or not, it might give him food poisoning. The blonde was cut out of his musing when his stomach growled harshly, causing him to sigh in defeat. Might as well eat it, it's not like he was going to die or anything.

 **Chomp**

Naruto bit into the skin of the fruit, he chewed for a few second before his face turned completely pale. He dropped the fruit and covered his mouth with his hands, trying not to vomit.

" _Horrible!_ " He thought to himself as he tried to keep it in.

The blonde forced himself to swallow the piece of fruit before falling to his knees and coughed violently. He spat onto the ground, trying to get rid of the disgusting taste in his mouth. That was the shittiest thing he had ever tasted, it was even shittier than the food they served here. The blonde was cut out of his musing when an angry sound reached his ears.

"Oi,"

Naruto turned around and widened his eyes as he saw his two personal guards, standing in front of the door. Even with half of their faces covered in masks, he could tell that they were pissed. The blonde was about to get up but froze when he felt their Magic spiked up, he gritted his teeth and backed away. He knew where this was going, and he did not like it one bit. Naruto was about to sprint away but couldn't when one of the Mages lifted up his hand and a yellow Magic circle appeared, shooting a bolt of lightning straight at him. Naruto screamed in agony, tears of pain began to bank up in the corner of his eyes as he felt his body going numb, he fell flat on his face and clenched his jaw, trying to stay in conscious. His body twitched slightly when he felt something attached to his ankles, he shakily turned his head to the side and looked from the corner of his eyes. There were more chains attracted onto his ankles.

The masked guards smirked, "You got balls trying to escape, you little punk!" One of them exclaimed before yanking the chains, causing the blonde's face to scrape against the cold, rough floor.

Ten minutes of being dragged. Naruto's eyes slowly darted across his surroundings. He knew where they were taking him, and he knew the place all too well.

The torture room.

The blonde held back a sob as he was being dragged like a rag doll, there was nothing he could do, he felt even more pathetic than he was ever before.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A small, tanned boy with light blonde hair moved the boxes that were covering a small hole inside the walls with all his might. He wiped the sweat off his brows and turned around.

"Nee-san, over here, quickly!" He whispered loudly at the children behind him.

"Sho! Keep your voice down!" A boy with dark hair sitting on one of the boxes exclaimed to the younger boy, causing a brown haired girl who was standing next to his frown.

"You're even louder, Wally," She remarked with her squeaky voice.

The said boy turned to her and smiled sheepishly, "Aheh, sorry, Mailliana," He apologised comically.

The sound of footsteps cut the children out of their bantering and making them turn their heads towards it. A smile appeared on the three's face as they saw an older girl with red hair who was clutching onto her chest in an uncertain manner. The boy with jet black hair, Simon, frowned as he walked up to her.

"Erza, if we don't speed things up, they will discover us for sure," He said.

"R-right," Said the girl, Erza, with fright in her voice. Her legs were trembling slightly as she stared at the ground, "But... what if they find out? I… know what they did to the other kids who got caught,"

Simon frowned at her. Erza was usually a very bright girl, and to see her with teary eyes did not sit well with him. He was about to go and comfort her but stopped when a blue haired boy made an appearance.

"It's alright, there's no need to be afraid," The blunette said confidently as he walked towards the group, causing them to look at him.

The redhead stared at him and her cheeks reddened slightly, "J-Jellal!" She exclaimed, causing Simon to moved away from her and glanced at the blunette before him.

"Tch," Was all he said.

Jellal brought his fists up close to his chest as he looked at his friends, "We are going to claim our freedom! Our future, our dream," He exclaimed calmly, causing everyone to smile, "Now then, let's get going,"

The children nodded before going through the small tunnel one by one. The tunnel was dark and the floor was moist, some of the children cringed slightly as they felt their feet touched something slimy, they ignored the feeling as carried on walking. The tunnel was quite small and cramped so arguments were bound to happen.

"Wally! You're talking to much space, move up a little!" Mailliana whispered loudly as he pushed the older boy lightly.

"But Mailliana~," Wally complained.

Simon frowned, "Can the two of you be any louder?"

Jellal sighed, while Erza and Sho chuckled lightly.

The children walked through the tunnel for about a minute until they saw a flash of light in front of them. Their eyes widened and smile painted across their faces.

Jellal turned back towards his friends, "There! The exit is up ahead!" He exclaimed loudly.

The group of kids couldn't contain their excitement and rushed towards the end of the tunnel with hope. They squinted their eyes, trying to adjust the brightness as they reached their destination, the happiness on their faces dropped and was replaced with a terrified one. Stood before them were a bunch of guards, armed with weapons and Magical staffs. Beside them were strange dog-like creatures with no eyes, they were staring hungrily at the kids but were held back by the chain leash that was held by the guards.

The six children backed away and cowered down in fear as the mutts growled and bared its teeth. Jellal gritted his teeth as he stared up at the two guards in front of him, one of them was a fat man who wore a green trench coat. The other was a tall, skinny man who wore a similar outfit as the fat one, both had a smirk on their faces, they were the leader of this tower. The blunette clenched his fists as he glared at them.

"Did you really think that you can make your escape so easily, little brats?" The fat man sneered, "Especially now, when we need the R-system to be finished as soon as possible?"

"Wait up," The skinny man said, catching his fat partner's attention, "At this rate, we're going to be really behind schedule, I was planning to send all of you to that room, but," He stated before looking at all the children.

The six children flinched slightly as the 'room' was brought up. They knew what that place was, and they did not want to go there, after all, it was the torture room. The children trembled even more, especially the younger ones.

"Who was the mastermind behind this escape? We will only apprehend that one," The skinny man sneered with a smirk on his face, causing Sho to stop breathing for a moment, "Aren't we kind?" He mocked.

The children froze as they sat in silence, there was no way they would sell each other out. The fat man looked at them in annoyance before stomping his staff onto the ground.

"Spit it out! Who was the one?!" He yelled.

Erza trembled in fear as she looked at Sho from the corner of her eyes. The boy was crying, tears and snots were running down his face as he clenched onto his rags tightly. The redhead frowned sadly before she spoke up timidly.

"I-,"

"It was me!" Jellal cut her off as he stood up, causing his friends to looked up at him in surprise, "I came up with the plan and directed them all!" He stated with fire in his eyes.

The two guards looked at him with curiosity, "Hmm, I see," The skinny man bent over in interest before shifting his eyes towards the redhead, who was looking at the bluenette with worries, "No, it wasn't you. It was that girl, apprehend her!" He stated, pointing at the girl.

The children's eyes widened as they hopelessly watched Erza be taken away, "No! It was me, it was me all along! It wasn't Erza!" Jellal yelled as he tried to catch up with the redhead.

Simon narrowed his eyes as he did the same, but more aggressive, "Release Erza!" He cried.

The two didn't get far when a Magic circle appeared on the Magic staff that the fat man was holding.

"Shut up!" The fat guard yelled as lightning shot through and stroke the two boys, causing them to fall onto their knees and became paralyzed.

The redhead looked down at the floor as she was being carried away, before muttering out loud, "I'll be fine, I'm going to be all right… it's just like you said, Jellal… I definitely won't be scared," She forced a smile at them.

Jellal gritted his teeth in frustration as he held up a paralyzed Simon, "Erza…" The blunette muttered, watching his red haired friend get carried away, into the dark dungeon.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Erza was scared. She had been carried deeper and deeper into the dungeon, and the light was getting dimmer every second. She bit her lip as she tried not to cry, who knew what the guards would do if she did. The redhead stopped breathing for a moment as she felt the slave drivers stopped walking, she slowly looked and widened her eyes in fright.

The area she was in was a dark, opened area. There was a massive Magic circle like patterns on the ground, and blue crystal like stones around the room that glows brightly in the dark, but that wasn't what scared her. It was a boy with bright blonde hair that was being chained up against the pole in the middle of the room. His body was covered in blood, and if she looked closely, he was missing an arm. Erza trembled as she stared in fear, just by looking at him, she could tell that he was tortured. The redhead yelped in pain as the guard grabbed a tuft of her hair and yanked forward.

"What're you standing around for? Move it!"

She gritted her teeth and obeyed, tears were swelling up in her eyes as she found herself being tied up against the pole. The redhead looked down at the ground, not wanting to meet the guard's gaze. She glanced at the side from the corner of her eyes at the boy next to her, her hands shook violently as she saw the exposed bone on his shoulder. Erza swallowed a lump of saliva down her throat before looking at the ground once more. Her eyes were wide opened in fear and sweat were running down her head.

The boy wasn't moving at all… was he dead?

She was cut out of her thoughts when one of the guards spoke up.

"Now then,"

The redhead shot up, only to widen her eyes when a masked guard stood right in front of her. He had a mischievous grin on his face as he held a black tanto knife in his hand, he laughed creepily before making his way closer towards her. Tears began to fall down Erza's face as she looked at him pleadingly, she felt the strength in her legs died away, but the chain still holding her up. Time stopped for her as the man slashed the knife, and agony scream echoed throughout the room.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto struggled to open his eyes as he felt consciousness coming back to him, he drowsily looked around before wincing in pain. The blonde widened his eyes in horror as he saw his shoulder… his arm was missing and bones were sticking out. He screamed in shock as he jerked back violently, the pain shot through him, causing him to grit his teeth and stared at it once more.

Damn those bastards, they went way too far. Just because he could regenerate his wound doesn't mean he couldn't die. Naruto clicked his tongue as he glared at his wounded shoulder.

It was healing, but very slowly.

The blonde ignored the pain before looking around once more, he sighed in relieved as there were no guards in his sight. He perked up as the sound of painful groaning rang through his ears, he looked to the side to see a small redhead girl, being tied up by handcuffs onto the nearby pole, right beside him. She looked about a year younger than him, judging by how small she looked. A frown appeared on his face as he saw her condition, her head was hung down, like she gave up on life or something, and her body was blooded all over, there were cuts that would probably leave scars. Naruto couldn't tell if she was conscious or not since her eyes were hidden behind her bangs, he was about to call out to her but stopped when the sound of the guards screaming, echoed throughout the corridor.

The blonde narrowed his eyes as he gritted his teeth, "Great, now what?" He muttered to himself before closing his eyes and pretended to be unconscious, who knows what would happen if they see him awake.

"Erza!" The sound rang straight through the corridor causing the blonde to peek through his closed eyelids.

He raised an eyebrow as a familiar blue-haired boy with a weird looking tattoo on his face, came running out into the room's opening. From what Naruto could tell, the boy was about a year younger than him as well, probably the same age as the redhead. His body was covered in bruises and cuts, must be because of the fights he had with the guards.

The boy ran past him and straight towards the girl, his eyes widened as he dropped the weapon he was carrying onto the ground and stared in horror at the bloodied girl before him.

"E-Erza…," His voice and body trembled as he took a step forward, towards his friend, "What horrible things did they do to you?" He asked to no one in particular as he hovered his hands in front of her, not wanting to touch any of the wounds.

Naruto watched silently as the blue haired boy panicked, not knowing what to do. He was about to speak up but stopped once more when a soft, painful groan escaped the redhead's mouth.

"Erza!" The boy yelled in concern before he spotted the handcuffs that were holding his friend against the pole, he unlocked it and laid the girl down gently, "H-hey, get a hold of yourself!" He exhorted.

The blunette widened his eyes as he saw the redhead's face, "Your eye…," He whispered as he stared in horror. Naruto winced in pain when the boy roared loudly while clutching tightly onto the injured girl, "Damn it!"

"Shut up!"

Jellal's eyes widened before peering unexpectedly at the sound of the newcomer, He gasped in shock when he spotted an older boy with bright blonde hair whose body was covered in blood and was tied up in chains against the pole. From what the blunette could tell, the blonde was missing an arm.

Naruto narrowed his eyes as he glared heatedly at the younger boy, "What were you thinking, you idiot. You were way too loud, are you trying to get us killed?!" He hissed harshly.

Jellal snapped out of his shock before noticing what the blonde had said, he quickly looked at his surroundings before a sigh escaped his mouth. He was lucky that there were no guards nearby. The blunette calmed himself and turned his attention back towards the blonde once more.

"S-Sorry about that," He apologised before a worried frown made its way onto his face as he stared at the older boy's arm, "Is your... arm going to be alright?" He queried.

Naruto looked at him with a straight face before scowling lightly, "It's fine," He stated and looked down at the chains that were holding him up tightly against the pole, "Just help me get out of this before the guards come," He requested.

Jellal nodded and laid his unconscious redhead friend, gently onto the ground. He walked towards the older boy and observed, unlike Erza, who was held up by handcuffs. The blonde was tied up by chains, and it seemed to be impossible to break free. He cringed as he got a close look at the blonde's torn shoulder, he could clearly see the bone, and it made him want to puke. The blunette tried his best to ignore the feeling and free his fellow slave, but no luck was in his sight.

Naruto frowned, this was taking way too long. Anymore time and they would get caught for sure, he was about to suggest something but instantly shut his mouth when he heard the sound of running echoed through the corridor. Sweat began to pour down his head as he began to panic.

"O-Oi, get out of here!" The blonde shouted, causing the younger boy to look at him with confusion.

"What, why?" Jellal asked, not sure what the older boy meant.

Naruto gritted his teeth as he glared at the blunette, "They're-,"

He was cut off when the sound of shouting and running echoed through the corridor. Jellal's eyes widened as he finally realised what the blonde had meant, he quickly spun around and picked up the redhead onto this back.

"I'll come back to get you, I promise!" He yelled over his shoulder before dashing as fast as he could towards the exit.

A tired groan escaped Naruto's mouth as he stared off towards where the blunette had left, he closed his eyes and muttered quietly to himself.

"You better,"

With that said, the blonde pretended to be unconscious, hoping that the guards would leave him alone.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Erza slowly opened her eyes as she felt herself being carried, all she could see was blue when her eyes adjusted to the brightness.

"J-Jellal…," She murmured, not having any strength to speak.

The blunette's eyes widened before he gently plopped the redhead down, leaning her against the wall for support as he looked worriedly at her.

"Erza, are you alright?" He asked in concern.

The redhead groaned in response, "Jellal… what happened?" She questioned before carefully observing her surroundings. Her eyes widened in shock as her blurry vision cleared. They were in a corridor and there were guards laying on the ground, injured and unconscious. She slowly turned back to the blunette and asked in a trembling voice, "D-did you do all this?"

Jellal looked down at the ground and nodded lightly, "There's no turning back now, Erza. We have to fight," He said firmly.

The redhead looked up at him, "Fight?" She asked with a quiet voice.

The blunette nodded once more before a soft smile appeared on his face as he offered his hand to help her get up. A light blush appeared on Erza's face as she gladly accepted his hand, the two stared at each other in silence until red magic circles appeared on the ground around them. Their eyes widened as they took a step back when ghoul like creatures slowly raised up, out of the magic circles.

Jellal and Erza froze, "T-the Magic Troops," The blue haired boy muttered in horror before lights filled their vision.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I wonder if nee-san is okay?" The blonde haired boy, Sho, said worriedly as he hugged his knee inside the prison cell.

The other children frowned sadly as they stared at the ground, not having anything to say. Simon bit his lip and turned towards an elderly man.

"Rob-jiichan, you came back alive from that room, right?" He asked with hope in his eyes.

The elderly man, Rob, looked down at him and his eyes softened, "I think Erza-chan should be fine, as long as you have a strong heart, they can't steal your soul," He said, trying to calm the children.

Simon frowned, "What is that supposed to mean?" He asked confusedly.

They were soon interrupted when the cell door slid open, they turned their attention towards the front and widened their eyes.

"Get in," The guard commanded as he chucked a red haired girl inside.

"Nee-san!"

"Erza…,"

Both Sho and Simon muttered. The children got up and hurriedly made their way towards the girl. A worried frown appeared on Simon's face as he noticed something.

"Hey, where's Jellal-," He was cut off when a hand tapped his shoulder.

Simon turned around, only to see Rob shaking his head lightly at him, "Leave her be, just be glad she's back alive at a time like this,"

The dark haired boy looked down at his feet and sulked, "But…," He muttered.

Rob looked back at the silent redhead and frowned, "They must have taken him as a replacement…," He murmured sadly.

"No more…,"

All heads in the group turned towards Sho, who was crying while holding himself tightly, "I can't stand this anymore!" The boy screamed loudly as he cried, alerting the nearby guards.

"Be quiet!" One of them snarled.

Sho cried, even more, causing the guards to become irritated, they were about to lash out at the children until a certain redhead grabbed a nearby shovel and rammed it against one of the guard's face, shattering his bones and sending him flying outside the cell.

"Why you!"

"What are you doing?!"

The guards screamed, which gained the nearby slaves' attention. Their head turned towards the commotion and their eyes widened when they spotted an injured guard, laying on the ground with his mask shattered, struggling to get up.

"H-hey...,"

"No way…,"

They muttered with a speechless expression on their faces. The injured guard slowly sat up as much as he could, ignoring the pain and screamed.

"They're rebelling!"

The scream echoed throughout the tower, alerting both guards and slaves. The children stared at their friend in awe and surprise.

"Erza what are you-," Simon was cut off when the redhead turned around to look at them and the slaves behind them with rage burning in her eyes.

"Take their weapons! If we obey them or run away, we'll never be free! We have to fight. For our freedom, rise up and fight!" She roared and her voice echoed throughout the tower, reaching each and every slaves' ears.

And with that, everything was thrown into chaos.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto was dumbstruck, just a moment ago he watched the blue haired boy took the redhead away and promised to come back and save him. That got his hope up. Ten minutes later, said hope drained away instantly when the same boy was carried back into the torture room by the two guards and was tortured constantly. Though, he was quite lucky when the guards didn't even notice him. Thanks to his acting skill, they just thought he was unconscious and plainly ignored him…

Simple minded people.

The blonde opened his eye slightly and peered towards the trio. He was quite impressed, the blunette has been tortured for about thirty minutes now and he hasn't even scream once.

"This guy isn't sayin' a peep! What a bore…,"

"You keep puttin' up a brave face, and you'll end up like that girl from before,"

The two guards said through the sound of the raging lightning spell that was torturing the blue haired boy. Jellal gritted his teeth as he bore the pain, he would not show any weakness to these bastards. He felt his body becoming numb, and the blood in his vein started to freeze. The boy silently gasped for air when the torturing stopped, he lifted his head up a little when his attention was captured by the guards.

"Hey, brat! Do you realise how sacred a cause it is to erect this R-system? At the moment this tower is completed, all of you will get to go to heaven! The R-system will resurrect our god!" One of them sneered.

Jellal gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes, "Shut up, pig…," He muttered.

The guard jerked back in surprise, "W-what did you say!?"

"Let him be," His partner said as he turned towards him, "We'll continue the ceremony as many times as it takes until he learns to revere our god… Now then, let's go. We have to help suppress the rebellion this afternoon," With that said, he began to walk away, causing the other guard to flicked his tongue in annoyance.

"Tch," Was all he said before following his partner, out of the room.

Naruto didn't even notice himself holding his breath as he silently eavesdropped, he exhaled loudly as the two guards were nowhere in sight. Though, he had heard something interesting, something about a rebellion? The blonde couldn't stop himself as his lips twitched upwards… there was hope. All he need to do now was get out of these chains or maybe wait for someone to come and rescue him… which was likely never going to happen.

Naruto was cut out of his thoughts when muttering sounds was heard, he raised an eyebrow and looked towards the direction, only for confusion to appear over his face when a certain blunette murmured lowly under his breath.

"God? I don't need anything like that… I don't need a god that can't even save one child…," The blonde silently agreed. He frowned a little when he noticed that the younger boy stopped moving. Naruto was about to ask what was wrong but stopped when something unexpected came out of his fellow slave's mouth, "Hate… I hate everything. I hate them and their god, everything about this world…,"

The blonde frowned, that wasn't right. He was about to call out the boy, but stopped and widened his eyes when another voice echoed throughout the room.

" **Hate! And I will devour that hatred…,"**

Naruto quickly looked around to see if anyone was there, but sadly nobody was in sight. The voice was one of a female's, and it sounded creepy… was he just hearing things? The blonde was cut out of his thoughts when the voice echoed once more.

" **People's hatred makes me grow stronger…,"**

…

There it was again… now he knows that he wasn't imagining it when the blunette looked up and gasped.

"Who are you?" He demanded.

The only answer he got was a half-hearted chuckle, **"Hehe, what amusing fools, I'm right here among them… Yet they trouble themselves to resurrect me? To give me a body?"**

Naruto frowned, he didn't like where this was going, and it seemed like the voice didn't know that he was conscious.

Jellal narrowed his eyes and looked around, "Where are you?" He demanded once more.

Suddenly, a dark purple jelly like substance began to form in front of the blue haired boy. The two children's eyes widened as the substance became bigger, and Naruto could somehow feel the dark energy coming from it.

" **No matter how fiercely they believe, one cannot sense my presence without strong hatred. Jellal… you are quite the lucky one! You got to meet the god that they worship so!"** The mischievous voice sent chills down Jellal's spine. He gasped when a sudden realisation hit him, **"My name is Zeref! My existence is hatred itself…,"** And with that… the substance finished forming and opened its eye…

Suddenly, Jellal's world went black.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"We need to liberate Sector 8 today! Everyone, keep it up!" The sound of Erza Scarlet echoed throughout the damaged underground construction site, reaching every single slaves' ears. They had successfully pushed the guards back and had claimed the lobby, all they need to do now was to reach Sector 9 to get to the boats.

Simon, who was right by Erza's side frowned at her with doubt, "Impossible! The guard is too tight there!" He said, causing the girl to frown back at him instantly.

"But we have to hurry and save Jellal or…," She murmured with worry in her voice.

Wally, who was listening to the conversation, smirked and whispered next to Simon's ear, "You ain't got a prayer, Simo-san~," He whispered teasingly, causing the older boy to blush heavily.

By now, everyone in their little group knew that he had a crush on Erza, except Erza herself and Jellal. Simon clenched his fists as the blush on his cheeks redden.

"Erza! A-Are you in love with Jellal?" He questioned abruptly, making the girl jump back in surprise.

"W-Why are you bringing that up now?" She asked and looked at the ground with a blush of her own, "Now is not the time to…,"

The boy in front of her swallowed the lump of saliva in his throat nervously, "I've always…,"

Before he could finish, a fireball was shot towards them, hitting the ground nearby, and causing a huge explosion. Erza saw this and instantly brought up her wooden shield to defend herself, while Simon could do nothing but be blown away. All the children grew into panic as they watched their friend flew back, and crashed into the wall.

"Simon!" Wally called out in worry as he rushed over.

He sighed in relief as he noticed the older boy's state. Simon was unconscious, his skin was a little burnt, but no major injury was found. Wally's attention, as well as everyone else's, was taken away when Mailliana cried out as she pointed up towards the sky.

"M-Magic Troops!"

All the slaves' eyes went wide, their breath was lost and the only thing that came out of their mouths was the sound of whimpering.

"N-No way…,"

And before anyone could move, massive, hot beams was shot out from the Troops' mouth, blasting away all the slaves, and burning them to crisp. The children hopelessly watched their fellow slaves get blown to bits while trying to save themselves. Erza's body trembled, she couldn't move, she could feel her legs about to give out at any moment. The redhead could hear her friends shouting at her, telling her to run. Erza stared wide eye as the Magic Troops got ready for their second attack, she closed her eyes as lights filled her vision. The redhead could feel the heat from the coming attack, she clutched onto the sword in her hand with all her might and braced for the attack.

Before she knew it, a massive explosion, followed by a strong gust of wind, blew up in front of her. Erza slowly opened her eye, only to widened it in surprise and horror. Stood before she was Rob, his back was turned towards her as he held both of his arms out in a protected manner. His skin was burnt, and she could see the blood on his body.

"R-Rob-jiichan…," She gasped out in horror.

The elderly man forced a smile as he looked over his shoulder before falling flat on his knees, coughing out a massive glob of blood. Without wasting any second, Erza hurriedly rushed over with worry on her face.

"Rob-jiichan!"

Rob peered at the little girl with difficulty as he tried his best to stay in conscious, "Erza…," He murmured with his raspy voice, "I'm sorry… it seems like I won't be making it,"

Tears began to drop from the redhead's eyes as she whimpered, "W-What're you talking about, Jii-chan?"

And before she knew it, another wave of magical beams was shot straight at them. Rob quickly got up onto his feet, and steeled his body with magic, protecting the little girl from the attack. Erza watched with wide eyes as lights filled her vision, the only thing she saw was Rob's body rotted away by the heat. She fell to her knees as tears of agony fell from her left eye…

Her guardian, parent figure, and friend… was gone.

Feelings of anger and sadness build up inside her, she gritted her teeth as her tears watered down her cheeks. The redhead roared, and suddenly, magic exploded from her, blowing everything away. All The guards and slaves widened their eyes as the weapons on the ground started to float up. Erza narrowed her eyes in anger towards the Magic Troops and guards, she unconsciously moved her hand in a forward manner, and without knowing it, the weapons flew towards them. Shredding the guards' body to pieces. Erza looked down at her hand and tightened it into a fist.

"So this is… Magic," She muttered to herself before looking at the ground… if only she had this power beforehand, maybe she could have been able to save Rob. The redhead clenched her fists tightly and turned back towards her fellow slaves. With this power, they could escape. The redhead picked up her sword before looking forward, into the distance.

"Jellal… I'm coming for you,"

There was no turning back…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto stared expressionlessly at the blue haired boy not so far from him, it has been about twenty minutes since the weird jelly like being appeared, who identified itself as Zeref. The blonde frowned as he continued to stare, he had seen what had happened to the younger boy, Jellal… He was brainwashed.

Zeref somehow controlled his mind and made him go insane. The mischievous smirk, that dark look on his face. Everything about the younger boy gave him a bad vibe, and he didn't like it one bit.

Suddenly, sounds of running echoed louder and louder from the corridor. Naruto raised one of his eyebrows in curiosity, did someone came to rescue them? Or was it just the guards? Not wanting to take any risks, the blonde closed his eyes and pretended to be unconscious once more. He peeked through his eyelid when a familiar red haired girl entered the room. He silently watched her made her way towards the blue haired boy with a relief expression on her face.

"Jellal!" She yelled, slashing the rope that was tying the boy up against the pole.

"Oi! Get away from him!"

Erza quickly turned her head towards the sound of the newcomer, only for her eye to be widened in recognition as she spotted a familiar blonde haired boy, who was strangely scowling at her. The first thing she noticed about him was that one of his arms was missing, and the other thing was that… He was alive all this time? The redhead swallowed a lump of saliva down her throat before giving him a questioning look.

"What do you mean…," She asked.

Before she could even get a reply, a mischievous smirk appeared on the blunette's face. Erza's left eye widened, that look did not suit Jellal at all, and it send chills down her spine.

"J-Jellal-,"

Before she could say any further, she felt herself being lifted up from the ground. The redhead gasped in surprise before an unknown force pushed her backward, straight through the walls, and down, into the destroyed underground construction site. Jellal smirked, before turning his attention to the blonde, who was being held up by chains against the pole.

"Damn you…," Naruto muttered in anger, since when could this bastard use magic?

Jellal did not say a word, he lifted his hand, facing it towards the blonde, before muttering a spell.

And before Naruto knew it, immense pain rushed through his body, as an unknown force pushed him backward, crashing into the wall behind him. The impact was so strong that the ceiling broke down and rubbles fell on top of him, causing a huge dust cloud. Jellal stared impassively as the dust started to fade away, revealing a blonde haired boy, whose body was covered in blood as his lower body was trapped under the massive rubbles.

The blunette turned away, towards where he had sent the redhead flying off to. There was no way the blonde could get out of those rubbles, his lower body was probably too damaged beyond repair, and even if he did get out. Jellal was sure that it was impossible for the blonde to walk, let alone, do anything against him.

Naruto gritted his teeth in anger as he silently watched the blue haired boy strolled out through the hole in the walls. His body hurt all over, and his arm wasn't even healed yet. He had never felt so weak before in his entire life, the blonde clenched his fists, so hard that his nails dug into his palm, and cursed silently…

…

Suddenly. A large, white bubble appeared, surrounding his bleeding fist, causing him to jerk back.

"What?!" He muttered in shock.

The blonde carefully examined the unmoving bubble for a few minutes, until he realised that nothing will happen unless he does something. Naruto lifted his hand closer to his face, was this magic? He questioned himself, he doesn't feel anything special from it, in fact, it felt somewhat natural. As if it was a part of him… Naruto frowned when he felt an unnatural desire to smash something, he looked down at the ground below him and narrowed his eyes.

Nothing could go wrong, right?

He didn't even bother to think of the consequences as he rammed his bubbled fist down, and before he knew it.

His world trembled into pieces.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Erza groaned in pain as she struggled to get up on her feet, her body ache all over from the fall, and her mind was tangled up in thoughts. She painfully looked up when she spotted a tuft of blue from the corner of her eye. Jellal was standing there, up on the unfinished construction building, unmoving as he stared down coldly at her.

"J-Jellal, why-," She couldn't finish her sentence when the boy coldly interrupted her.

"Erza… I'm staying,"

Those two words pierced through her heart, forgetting that he had nearly killed her, she widened her eye in disbelief, "W-What are you saying, Jellal?! Let's escape from this island together!" She snapped.

Jellal's expression didn't change, "I will complete the R-system, and gain freedom in Zeref's world!" He exclaimed as dark magic began to build up around him, "If you want to go so badly, then you can leave this island on your own!"

The redhead gasped "On my own?"

"The rest of them are all mine. Completing this tower will take a lot of work, after all. But you don't need to worry. I'm not like them. I'll give everyone clothes, food, and rest. Fear and oppression do give rise to hatred, but the work efficiency is for the poor,"

Erza looked at him with a puzzled expression, "What are you saying? Everyone is already on the ships, waiting for us! No one is planning on coming back here and work!" She shouted, causing the blunette to narrowed his eyes.

"That's because they never explained to us the meaning behind the work. I will show them the meaning," He clenched his fist before exclaiming loudly once more, "They will work for the glory of the great mage, Zeref!"

The girl below him gritted her teeth, "But… who would choose to continue sacrificing themselves-,"

Jellal cut her off, "Sacrifice? That's not what I need now. Zeref taught me, you see...," He muttered the last part.

Erza was on the verge of tears, a painful expression appeared on her face as she continued to look at the boy before her, "Jellal, please open your eyes!" She begged.

The blue haired boy narrowed his eyes, this was getting annoying. He aimed his hand at her and a dark, magic circle appeared, "My eyes are already open," Suddenly, black and red aura appeared around Erza, tying and holding her in place, preventing her from moving. The redhead struggled to breathe as she felt her body being lifted off the ground and floating towards the blunette.

"I have no more need for you. Since you eliminated all those who stood in my way for me. You will leave this island and have your fill of that transient freedom. But you will never speak of this to anyone… if the government finds out about this Tower of Heaven, it will be quite troublesome," He said before he brought her closer towards him, and whispered next to her ear, "If you try to tell someone, I will have to destroy this tower and everyone in it… you are also forbidden to come near here. If you set even one foot… yes, I think that'll do… first, I will make Sho disappear…," He threatened.

"No…," Erza whispered in fear.

Jellal smirked before one of his eyes turned into a strange symbol.

"Yes! That will be your freedom! Live knowing that your friends' lives hang on your shoulders, Erza!"

…

Before any of them could move, a massive tremor appeared out of nowhere, and the wall behind them started to crack. Jellal's grip on Erza was unconsciously loosened as his eyes widened is a surprise.

"What-,"

He didn't get to finish when a massive shockwave blew through the wall, sending both of them flying backward, and crashed down against the floor along with the rubbles. Jellal groaned in pain as he struggled to get up on his feet, he darted his eyes forward when a tuft of blonde was spotted in the corner of his vision. With a dumbstruck expression, he stared speechlessly at the older boy in front of him. The wounds that were supposed to be there was gone, and the missing arm was back, completely healed.

"How?" Jellal questioned in shock and confusion.

The blonde didn't reply as he continued to observed his surroundings. The area that used to be a construction site was now completely destroyed. Rubbles were everywhere, and the construction buildings looked as if it were going to crumble down at any moment. Naruto's attention was gained by tufts of blue and red, his untamed blue eyes darted down at the two children below him. One of them was glaring at him, and the other was unconscious. The blonde narrowed his eyes and glared back. Having ran out of his patient, Jellal roared.

"Answer me!"

…

What he received was silence. The blue haired boy narrowed his eyes and snarled, he did not like being ignored. Magic began to build up around him as he got ready for a stance, the blonde was going to get it. He aimed his hand at the older boy and a dark magic circle appeared, firing a black magic ball. With both eyes widened in surprise, Naruto helplessly watched the attack came closer, so fast that he couldn't react in time. He felt skin burn when the blast hit him, blowing him away and shattering the ground beneath him.

Dust covered the area as Jellal stared with a proud smirk on his face… there was no way the blonde could have survived that. Being the ignorant boy he was, he turned his attention away and laid his eyes onto the unconscious redhead. Hmm… what should he do with her?

…

His attention was once again taken by surprise when the sound of raspy groan was heard. The blunette swiftly turned around, eyes widened as he stared unbelievingly at the older boy before him.

Naruto felt his body ache all over, his skin was burning and the pain was unbearable. The blonde groan in pain as he got up on his feet, he was lucky that the rubbles didn't fall on top of him this time. As the dust started to clear, Naruto looked up to see the blue haired boy staring at him with disbelieving eyes. He snarled angrily and clenched his fist… damn, this little cunt was asking for it.

Jellal gritted his teeth, boring his eyes into the older boy's own glare, "How did you survive?" He questioned.

The only answer he got was silence… until the blonde leaped across the area with his fist pulled back. The blunette's eyes widened at the unsuspected assault, he quickly brought up his hand and formed a shield made out of magic. There was no way the blonde could break-

…

 **Crack**

The air around them shattered along with the magic shield as the older boy's fist came into contact. Jellal screeched painfully when Naruto didn't pull back, his fist kept digging deeper and the crack in the air expanded even more. The blunette felt his right ribcage shattered as air escaped out of his lungs. A massive shockwave erupted from the crack, blowing away a half conscious Jolla, and the ground around them shattered into rubbles as well as some of the ceiling, along with the walls as the tower rumbled violently.

Jellal coughed out blood, trying to stay in conscious as the rumbling started to die down. He clutched onto his right side tightly, it was hard to breathe. Footsteps were heard in front of him, coming closer and closer. The blunette peered forward to see the older boy standing before him with a raised eyebrow.

Jellal clenched his jaw, what the hell happened? He got up onto his knees and glared right into the blonde's eyes. It doesn't matter now, "I won't lose! I will complete this tower and receive Zeref's freedom… I won't let you get in my way!" He roared.

And with that, dark magic exploded from him. Blowing gusts of wind all around. Jellal smirked as he felt his body-powered up, he felt much stronger, faster, and superior. He felt unstoppable. Though, his smirk died down when he noticed that his opponent when into his own stance... the blonde crouched down and brought his fists closer. But before Jellal made his move. Naruto's fists struck out and rammed against the sides, making the air around him shattered.

Jellal gasped, his breath died in his throat, "What…," He muttered.

Never before had he seen anything like this… was it magic?

"What the hell did you do?!" He yelled.

Naruto stood still in his stance with both his arms still stretched out, and the cracks in the air was still expanding. A thoughtful look appeared on his whiskered face before giving the younger boy a shrugging look.

"I don't know...," He stated plainly.

Well, that was true… he was just following his instinct.

The blunette quickly grew mad, "Don't mess with me!" He screamed, voice filled with anger.

But before he could do anything. The whole tower started to rumble once more.

…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

On the dock at the bottom of the tower. Many slaves were reloading the goods on to the boats with an eager expression on their faces. Most children were already on board, savaging for food.

Everybody wanted to get out of this place as soon as possible.

"Nee-chan is late…," The blonde haired boy, Sho, muttered to his friends over his shoulder as he stared worriedly at the tower.

Erza had told them to go on ahead so she could go look for Jellal, but it has been over two hours since they parted, and there was no sign of the redhead anywhere. Sho was getting worried. He turned his attention back towards his three friends.

Simon was laying on the ground with bandages all over his body, while Mailliana and Wally were searching for food in the wooden boxes. Sho just hoped that everyone would make it out alive…

…

Everyone froze when the ground started to rumble violently. So hard that nearly everyone fell off their feet.

"W-What the hell's going on?!"

"Earthquake?!"

"H-Help me!"

Panic erupted as the rumbling shook louder and stronger. Their breath died in their throat when the wind got stronger, and their eyes were locked dead one at the incoming disaster…

Tsunamis.

Surrounding them were massive tsunami waves, about half the size of the tower, creeping closer and closer. Slaves dropped onto their knees as all hopes were lost. Tears fell from Sho's eyes as he helplessly stared…

It was all just a bad dream… he convinced himself.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Erza Scarlet's left eye peered open as the rumbling shook her awake. A flash of blue and yellow caught her attention. With eye widened, she gasped in shock at the two boys before her. Jellal was there, clutching his side and breathing hard as if he was in immense pain. And not so far from him was the older boy with blonde hair. He stood there with blood and bruises covered his body, but that wasn't what shocked her the most… it was the air.

The air was filled with dread.

Erza felt her legs go weak when the whole area went silent as if time had stopped. The redhead swallowed a lump of saliva down her throat before looking at the two boys before her once more. It seemed like they hadn't noticed that she was awake yet.

…

Jellal smirked as the rumbling died down. He stared at the older boy mockingly before making a comment, "I see… so your power is to generate earthquakes... I don't know what type of magic that is, but it won't do anything against me!"

There was no way he would let his guard down again, especially if he doesn't want to get his bones broken… Jellal leaped back a few feet, he needed to keep his distance if he wanted to win. Magic gathered around his fists as he got into his stance.

"Come! Let's finish this!" He exclaimed.

Naruto's eyes narrowed. Does this kid think he would go down that easily? He clenched his fist, and a familiar white bubble appeared around it. Erza watched the two from the side with worry. She wanted to stop them, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to do anything other than being a nuisance. The two boys sprang into action. Jellal leaped backward while Naruto rushed head on with his fist pulled back.

"Predictable," The blunette muttered.

But before they could crash, the ground started to shake once more, and the three of them grunted, losing their balances as they fell off their feet. Feeling strong gust of wind seeping through the holes in the wall, Erza widened her eyes. The tremor had gotten more violent, and she could strangely hear water crashing… as if a massive wave was coming this way. The redhead struggled to turn her head towards the two boys, who were one their knees, looking pretty pathetic.

Naruto clenched his jaw tightly as he dug his finger into the ground, trying to stop himself flying everywhere. The tremors were getting quite… annoying. He smirked when he peered over to see the blue haired boy, whose balance was all over the place. It was an amusing scene to see, and the look on his face was priceless.

…

 **Crack**

A loud crack, followed by sea water busting through the walls caught the children's attention. Their eyes bulged out in shock as they helplessly watched the massive water wave engulf them… it happened all too fast, impossible for them to react, and even if they did. They couldn't have done anything anyway. Naruto felt his limbs weakened as the water rocked him around, his consciousness was slowly drifting away, and everything went black for him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Slit red eyes slowly opened behind the dark sewer cages, red bubble-like substances with unknown powers slowly seeped through the gap in the steel bars, followed by a looming voice that was filled with curiosity and worry.

" **Naruto…,"**

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

On a beach not so far away from Akane resort, a blonde haired child could be seen drifting to shore. No wounds could be seen on his body; other than the ragged clothes he wore. Naruto coughed, getting up on his knee and began to drag himself out of the water. That was the worst experience he ever had… how he survived was beyond him. Placing his wet feet onto the cold sand, Naruto looked up into the cloudless sky. Awe glittered in his light blue eyes as he stared at the moon… It was beautiful, now that there were no walls in his way. The blonde could see the whole picture. The stars stretched far and wide out into the horizon and behind the mountain, and shivers went down his spine.

Never before had he ever felt so small in this world.

He was free.

…

The sound of sniffing and sobbing reached his ears. Naruto quickly turned his head, only to see a familiar red haired girl on her knees crying not so far from him. A calculating expression made its way across his face as he decided to get closer. Why was she crying? Shouldn't she be happy now that she was finally free? The blonde was now right next to her, stood unmoving as he observed with a frown.

Erza knew that there was someone beside her, but she didn't care. The pain of lose was too unbearable for her, she couldn't even save a single one of them. Even if she had magic, she was still a pathetic little girl… nothing had changed. And that water… she wondered if Sho and the others were alright… and Jellal. The thought of the blunette brought her more tears, a drop of snot slid down her nose as she mumbled with her muffled voice.

"J-Jellal…,"

Naruto grimaced in disgust.

Even if he knew that she was sad that she couldn't save her friend, Jellal. The snots on her crying face were too much for him. Deciding for the best, Naruto took a step back and watched from the distance as the redhead cried her eyes out under the full moon…

He didn't want snots on his rags… thank you very much.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I'm not going…,"

Erza Scarlet stood in the center of Clover Town, facing her blonde companion who she had been traveling with for the past two weeks. With eye widened, she stared at him with a speechless expression.

"W-What do you mean?" She questioned.

Naruto gave her a blank look, "I'm not joining Fairy Tail," He stated plainly.

The blonde watched as the younger girl's shoulders dropped, a slight guilt washed over him as he continued to stare. Erza held back a sob as she looked at the ground, avoiding the boy's gaze. Was this it? The time they had spent together was it going to end just like this?

"You know… It's not like we're not going to see each other again," The blonde said, causing the red haired girl to look at him.

Erza frowned, "But…,"

She stopped when a heavy sigh escaped the older boy's mouth, "Stop worrying so much will you? I'll come visit once in a while… or something," He said, somewhat annoyed.

The redhead looked down once more and quietly nodded, her feelings were still unsure. She perked up when she spotted Naruto reached into the right pocket of his rags and pulled out a crystal like neckless. She gawked.

"Here," Without a warning, the blonde tossed the expensive looking object at the girl, making her stumble as she made her effort to catch.

Erza could say nothing but stare at the item in her hands, her eye glimmered as the blue neckless reflected the afternoon sun's ray beautifully.

"D-Did you buy this?" She asked with a shaky voice.

"Huh? No way," Naruto's voice caught her attention. He pointed his thumb over his shoulder in an uncaring manner, "I found it on the ground near the bins. It looked pretty so I picked it up," He informed.

…

A blank look appeared on the redhead's face as she continued to stare at the older boy before her. The item in her hands looked so expensive, but it was a thrown away trash. Erza tightened her hold onto the neckless as she continued to look at it. Even if it was just a trash that someone didn't want, she would still treasure it. After all, it was a parting gift from a… friend.

"Ah, look at the time,"

Her head shot up to see Naruto looking at the clock on one of the buildings, his blonde locks swayed in the wind as he turned his attention towards her.

"I should get going…,"

Erza could do nothing but look at her companion's back turned towards her. Her hands tightened into fists, and tears were banked up in the corner of her left eye. The feeling of separation hit her like a train, she threw the neckless around her neck before steeling her emotions.

"Naruto!" She cried loudly into the empty street, "I'll get stronger, strong enough to be able to stand up against you! So then, lets…,"

Words died in her throat. Her hands dropped by her side lifelessly as tears fell down her cheeks.

It doesn't matter anymore…

Because Naruto was already gone.

…

…

…

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Thick fogs covered the whole forest area as the morning sun's ray tried its best to dig through. A lone child with scarlet red hair could be seen walking along the murky path, her bare feet dug into the moist ground as she moved. Erza Scarlet hugged herself when she felt the cold wind brushes against her tender skin.

She had been traveling alone for a few days now, trying to get to Magnolia. But right now, she was lost. Maybe she shouldn't travel so early in the morning… since the fogs were always so thick around these areas. The redhead sighed, for some strange reason, she felt as if she had been walking around in circles for hours. The trees looked so identical to one another, and the fogs were not helping one bit… maybe she should sit down and wait?

…

Ah.

An idea just popped into her mind.

With a quick use of her magic, Erza summoned a sword out of her pocket space. The sword was dull as if it was going to break in half at any moment. Nodding to herself, she carefully made her way towards one of the tree trunks. With a steady slash, she made an 'X' mark. Nodding to herself, a proud smile appeared on her cherry face as she took a step backward. This way, she would know that she wasn't walking around in circles. She was about to find a place to sit down until she noticed something.

…

There was no sound in the area.

Everything was dead silent. No wind. No sound of birds, no nothing. The only thing she could hear was her own heartbeat. Sweat began to pour down her head as she tightened her hold on the hilt of her sword. This feeling… she knew it all too well.

Dread.

…

 **Thud**

The sound of gigantic footsteps suddenly echoed throughout the forests. The redhead nearly gasped out in shock, she hastily looked around her surroundings to see where the sounds were coming from, but there was nothing there. Her mind was tangled up in fear as her body trembled.

She needed to get away from here fast!

But before the girl could make her move, everything went silent once more… as if time had stopped. Erza didn't know why, but for some reason. She felt as if there was someone behind her. Without thinking the redhead turned around with a fearful look on her face and froze…

Right there before her was a humanoid creature with the size of a two storey house. Its laser sharp claws tensed as saliva dripped down from its mouth. The eyeless creature growled hungrily, making the girl take a step back.

Without a warning, the monster screeched and leaped across the distance with its claw pulled back. Erza could do nothing but sloppily blocked the attack with her dull sword. The impact sent her flying backward, and crashing into the trees. Air was knocked out of her lungs as she hit the ground. Struggling to get back up, the redhead groaned in pain while clutching onto her aching body. She tried to look up but instantly regretted it when she saw the monster creeping closer towards her.

Her body started to tremble as tears began to bank up in the corner of her left eye. Was this it? Was she going to die just like this? She had never felt so weak before in her life… if only she was stronger.

If only Naruto was here-

No!

A sudden feeling of rage washed over her, all the self-pitying thoughts went away in an instant. Ignoring the pain, Erza picked up her sword and got up to her feet.

"I don't need help...," She mumbled quietly to herself.

How could she even face _him_ if she kept going on like this? She really needed to change…

The sound of the creature's growl cut the girl out of her musing. She narrowed her eye as her hold on the sword tightened. There was no way she was going to die in a place like this, not now… not ever. Surprise exploded from her face when the humanoid monster roared, and without wasting any moment. It leaped straight at her.

Eza's jaw tightened, and with a battle cry of her own, she braced for the incoming attack.

"Well now… aren't you a brave one?"

Suddenly, a silver blur flashed in front of her, blocking her view. The redhead covered her eye in reflex when a massive gust of wind, followed by a light tremor blew past her, sending her a couple of feet back. As everything died down, Erza peered forward. Her left eye widened in surprise when she saw a figure of an elderly man with silver cloak stood before her, but that wasn't what surprise her the most. It was the creature.

The being stood very far away from her as if it was pushed back, and there were trails of skidding on the ground. The redhead turned her attention towards her savior, a shock expression appeared on her face as she stared. How? How was he able to push something that big so far back?

The man was old, maybe younger than Rob, but she could tell that he was old. He wore a plain T-shirt, shorts, and sandals, but the most distinguishing traits about him were the scar that was hiding underneath his round glasses and facial hair, which was arranged embattled across his lower jaw.

Erza was about to ask who he was but stopped when the sound of the monster screeching interrupted her. Turning her head towards it, she gasped and took a step back slightly. The creature looked angry, its saliva drooled down its mouth to its chin as it bore its sharp teeth. It looked really angry.

"Haha, this one is feisty,"

The sound of the elderly man's chuckle brought Erza's attention towards him, she could do nothing but stared with a speechless expression on her face. How could he be so calm in a situation like this?

 **ROARRR!**

With a swift turn of her head, the girl's eye widened as a fearful look erupted from her face when she saw the creature leaped up into the air as if it was doing the kamikaze. She hastily looked back at the elderly man, and was about to tell him to run away, but stopped when she spotted his arms turned black.

Was this… magic?

And so fast that the eye couldn't see, the creature dived down with all its might. Erza watched as the man lifted both of his arms up in a defensive manner, shock waves erupted from them as they crashed. The redhead covered her face as she was pushed back. The ground around them shattered into rubbles, and the girl tried her best to stay in balance.

Suddenly, the man's eyes narrowed, and a massive wave of intimidation washed over the whole area. Erza felt her blood went cold as the feeling of fear entered her, she peered forward, only for her eye to be widened at the scene before her.

The creature… fainted.

Shakiness overwhelmed her body, causing her to fall to her knees. The redhead gulped down her saliva as her mind turned blank. She couldn't think of anything… and out of nowhere, the feeling of achiness started to engulf her body. Erza's vision became blurry as tiredness was shown in her eye.

A quick nap couldn't hurt…

Right?

And with that, Erza Scarlet collapsed in an unknown forest, under the watchful eyes of a silver cloaked individual.

XXXXXXX

The sound of boiling water inside the kettle rang throughout the small cabin house. An elderly man sitting on a chair dropped his pen down and closed his book. Getting up, he ambled towards the kettle and turned off the gas. He hummed softly before snatching a mug from one of the shelves, and with a swift movement. He dropped a brand new tea bag and two spoon of sugar inside, mixing them together.

He carried on for a few seconds until a soft groan caught his attention. He turned his head towards the corner of the room where a small girl with scarlet red hair, who was resting on the bed, tried to sit up.

Erza Scarlet winced in pain, she peered around her surroundings as her eye adjusted to the brightness. From what she could tell, she was in a one room cabin. The room was made of wood, there were many pictures on the walls and other housing objects. Her eye rested on the fireplace, watching fire flickered back and forth as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.

Where was she?

That was the only question that came into her mind.

"It seems like you're awake,"

The familiar voice caught her attention, making her turned around. A look of familiarity appeared on the redhead's face as she saw the familiar old man who was holding a mug of freshly made tea as he made his way towards her.

This was the man who saved her.

Erza remembered.

The elderly man placed the mug on the table near the bed and sat on the chair beside her.

"Drink up," He said.

Nodding her thanks, the redhead accepted the drink and did a little sip to see how the taste was. Her body shivered slightly as the feeling of warmness entered her empty stomach. She turned her head towards her savior and bowed slightly.

"Thank you,"

But the man brushed her off.

"What were you doing out all by yourself in such a dangerous area, young lady?" The elderly man asked curiosity was clearly shown on his scarred face.

Erza frowned, dangerous area? She was about to ask but soon realised what he had called her.

"Erza Scarlet," She corrected him.

The old man raised an eyebrow before a small smile appeared on his face.

"I see… my name is Rayleigh. Nice to meet you, Erza-kun," He greeted kindly.

A pink hue bloomed on the girl's cheeks as she nodded, nobody had used the -kun honorific on her before. It felt a little bit embarrassing.

Suddenly, the memory of the creature appeared in her mind, making her frowned in displeasure. The girl looked up at the elderly man before her.

"What happened?" She asked with a slightly unsure voice.

Rayleigh gained an interest look in his eyes, he pushed his round glasses up to the bridge of his nose before answering, "After the attack, you collapsed due to the tiredness of your body. I carried you to my home to ensure your safety. Though you've been unconscious for about three days straight, but don't worry, your body is perfectly fine and healthy,"

Erza bowed in a thankful manner before a frown made its way onto her face. Three days… now that was a long time, she wondered how far she could have gone if she didn't come across that creature… the girl's attention was brought back when she noticed Rayleigh staring at her face in an observing manner.

"W-What is it…," Her walls were building up.

The elderly man snapped out as he noticed what he was doing, "Ah, sorry… I was just wondering what happened to your right eye. Surely, it wasn't the beast that did it," He pointed, somewhat rudely.

Erza shook her head lightly, a grim expression on her face. For some odd reason, memories of when she was in the tower came into her mind. As Rayleigh noticed this, he realised that this was probably a touchy subject.

"You don't need to force yourself to tell if you're not comfortable with it," He said.

The redhead shook her head, "No," She said.

She could at least tell him. After all, he was the one who saved her life, and besides. It not like Jellal could hear or see what she was doing anyway… she hoped.

And so, she began to tell her story to the elderly man. How her life was, the R-System, the sacrifice of her parent figure, Rob. The madness of Jellal, the certain blonde with dope powers, and her journey to Magnolia to join Fairy Tail.

Rayleigh hummed, "Hmm… I see, how unfortunate," Then, he remembered something that caught his interest, "Erza-kun… can this, Naruto friend of yours swim?" He asked.

A confused look appeared on the redhead's face. Why would Rayleigh be interested in Naruto? She tried her best to think back to the time she had been traveling with the blonde. Hmmm...

"Well, there was this one time where we went fishing for food…," She began. Seeing that Rayleigh was listening very closely made her continue, "Naruto accidently fell into the pond and….,"

She turned her head towards the interested old man.

"No," She shook her head, "I don't think he can…,"

Rayleigh hummed in interest as he sat back in his seat.

A devil fruit user… but not just any devil fruit…

It was Edward Newgate's, A.K.A Whitebeard.

A thoughtful frown appeared his face as he rubbed his beard.

How?

How was there a devil fruit in this world?

The last time he remembered was when Teach used his **Black Hole** …

Ah… black hole.

Maybe-

"Rayleigh-san?"

The elderly man was brought back to reality by the little girl on the bed, who was looking at him with a worried frown on her face.

"Ah, sorry Erza-kun. I spaced out there," Apologised Rayleigh.

He was about to ask more question until he noticed the bangs under the redhead's eye. She must still be very tired. Getting up on his feet, he turned and walked away towards the light switch, making the girl tilt her head in confusion.

"I suggest you get some more sleep,"

Erza nodded lightly before picking up the fluffy, warm blanket. She was about to tuck herself in until a flash of memory hit her like a bullet. Flinging the blanket away, she quickly got up on the bed. A look of desperation on her face.

"W-Wait, Rayleigh-san!" She called, causing the elderly man to stopped half way through the front door.

He quirked an eyebrow in curiosity as he looked back at her, "Yes?" He asked.

"U-Um, the way you turned your arms into black armour… uh-," She stuttered, not knowing how to put things into words.

A small, knowing smirk appeared on Rayleigh's face as he looked at the frustrated girl. Ah… he knew where this was going.

"U-Uh, what I'm trying to say is… if it's not much to ask. Please! Train me. I want to become stronger!" She exclaimed loudly as she bowed.

…

She was met with silent.

" _No,"_

The redhead felt tears started to bank up in the corner of her eye. Maybe she shouldn't ask so much, and taking things for granted. She looked up to apologise but stopped when she saw Rayleigh's back facing towards her. For some reason, she felt as if he was… smiling.

"Get some rest for now, and we will discuss it in the morning,"

And with that said he walked out of the cabin, shutting the door gently, leaving a speechless redhead alone in the cosy room.

That night. Erza Scarlet went to sleep with a blissful smile on her face.

XXXXXX

Rayleigh smiled as he sighed lightly while sitting himself down on one of the logs near the camp fire. Once again, he had taken in another student. But this time, he sure was going get more respect than that silly monkey boy.

He chuckled.

If only Roger could see him now…

His calmed eyes traveled to the side to see the eyeless creature, laying lifelessly on the ground. Its body was covered in cuts, and its limbs was cut off into pieces.

It was the same creature that attacked Erza…

The old pirate hummed to himself as he continued to stare.

"Now then... how should I turn this into breakfast?"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Recklessness is the key.

(Unknown location, one month later)

Gildarts Clive sighed for the hundredth time as he ambled aimlessly along the edge of the mountain cliff. His tired eyes looked up at the sky full of grey clouds. Was it going to snow?

...

Shaking his head, the auburn haired man stared at the view below him. Surrounding him were massive pointy mountains covered in snow, so big that it looked as if it could pierce the heaven. The cold wind brushed against his tattered cloak, making it sway. Being the brave man he was, Gildarts peeked down below him, only to see nothing but fog. An annoyed expression bloomed across his face as he scratched the back of his head.

He was lost...

Great, now what?

He had taken an S class mission from the board and had been traveling for months now, trying to find the damn location... another sigh escaped his mouth, his shoulders slumped down disheartedly. He had been walking nonstop since this morning. Maybe he should take a short break? Two or three hours should be good...

Looking around, Gildarts found the perfect spot for a rest. It was a massive rock, and its texture was by far the smoothest ones he had ever seen on a rock. A smile formed on his middle age face as he slowly made his way towards it. Ah~ finally, a place to rest-

 **ACHOO!**

A loud sneezing sound echoed loudly near Gildart's location. The auburn haired man couldn't help himself and turned around to see a blonde haired child at the age of thirteen, hugging himself from the coldness as he looked at the view below him. A deadpan look appeared on his face as he continued to stare, the boy had weird whisker marks on both sides of his cheeks, but that wasn't what made him stand out... It was the choice of clothing.

The blonde haired boy wore a plain white T-shirt, black shorts that reached down just below the knees, and a pair of flip flops...

Flip flops!

In this kind of place?!

...

Noticing that he was being stared at, Naruto raised an eyebrow and looked over his shoulder. Only to see a hobo looking at him with a speechless expression...

The two continued to stare at each other with their own deadpan expression until the blonde spoke up.

"What?"

"..."

Pointing his finger rudely, Gildarts questioned, "Aren't you cold?"

Naruto's face grew beyond blank. Was this old guy really asking him that? Okay, he had to admit. His outfit might look weird, but it was the only thing he could afford, and besides. It was comfortable.

"I dunno, you tell me...," He mocked.

Something inside Gildarts snapped, _"Cheeky little brat...,"_ he shook his head mentally and decided to ignore the comment. Maybe he should change the subject...

"Anyways... what's a brat like you doing all the way out here?"

An unpleasant look appeared on Naruto's face as he tilted his head, "Aaahhh? I could say the same thing to you too... Old man," He sneered.

Now that does it, a vein could be seen popping on the auburn haired man's forehead. He gritted his teeth and exclaimed.

"I'm not old dammit!"

"Whatever," Was the blonde's reply.

The feeling of irritation overwhelmed Gildarts. A sigh escaped his mouth, he mentally shook his head as he tried to calm himself down. The kid might be annoying, but he was still just a kid. Coughing into his fist, the middle age man tried to change the subject once more.

"Jokes aside, I don't know what you're doing up here all by yourself, but I suggest you leave," He crossed his arms.

Naruto tilted his head in confusion, "Huh?"

"It's dangerous here...," The middle age man said, looking around, "Don't you feel it?"

Silence claimed the area as the two stood. Naruto could feel his hair swayed in the cold wind as he tried to 'feel it'.

"..."

Nothing.

He looked up at the older man straight in the eyes.

"I don't feel anything... are you sure you're not just imagining it? Since you're old and all," He mocked.

Gildarts's body shook, trying his best not to lash at the blonde. He was in his thirties dammit! A brat like this shouldn't be able to wind him up!

"Dammit kid, doesn't your parent teach you manners?" The ace of Fairy Tail hissed.

The look on the boy's face made him stop. The uncaring expression was replaced with a frown.

"I don't have any parents," Naruto shrugged, but the auburn-haired man could tell that he was a little bit offended.

Scratching the back of his head. Gildarts tried to think of a way to change the subject.

"Today's weather is great isn't it?"

"..."

"..."

"Lame,"

That one word pierced through his heart like a spear. A rain cloud appeared out of nowhere over his head as he looked down at the ground. Naruto continued to watch the middle age man sulk before an annoyed sigh escaped his mouth.

"Oi...," He called out half-heartedly. Making Gildarts perk up in curiosity, "What about you? Why're you even up here, old man?" He questioned.

Gildarts made a face. "My name is Gildarts Clive, not old man!" He exaggerated before rubbing his bearded chin, "And for what I'm doing up here... hmm...,"

A smirk appeared on his face, oh... the brat would be surprised by this!

"I'm a Fairy Tail mage, currently on an S-rank mission!" Gildarts exclaimed, pointing his thumb towards his chest.

A flash of recognition popped onto Naruto's face. Fairy Tail... wasn't that the guild Erza wanted to join so much? He looked up at the older man and raised his eyebrows.

"S rank you say?"

The Fairy Tail mage smirked, "That's right," He nodded.

Naruto stared straight into the auburn haired man's eyes. Untamed blues met dark browns.

"I don't believe you,"

Gildarts face faulted. A growl rumbled out of his mouth as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a poster.

"Look,"

Handing the piece of paper to the blonde, he watched with a slightly raised eyebrow. The flip-flop wearing boy squinted his eyes as he skimmed through the poster. His main attention was on the picture which was showing a big, golem-like creature. His eyes glided down towards where the writings were, and began to read...

read...

"..."

"I can't read,"

Gildarts's face became dumbfounded. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

"Where the hell were you raised? Doesn't the orphanage teach you or something?"

Without a care in the world, Naruto replied casually, "I was a slave...,"

"..."

"A what?" The auburn haired man's face became blank.

The blonde frowned, "A slave," He repeated. Doesn't this old dude know what a slave is?

A long, tired sigh escaped the man's mouth. He slumped down on the ground and gestured his hand for the boy to sit down.

"You and I are going to have a long chat about this,"

Naruto groaned in annoyance.

XXXX

At the edge of Fiore, footsteps echoed through the thick forest area. A small child wearing armor walked closely behind the silver cloaked individual

"Are we there yet, Rayleigh-san?" Asked Erza Scarlet for what seemed to be the hundredth time.

The cloaked individual, Rayleigh, smiled, "We're nearly there," He responded.

A doubtful frown made its way on the girl's face as she nodded. They had been walking for more than five hours, she didn't know where they were going, but her mentor said that it was for training. So being the good child she was, she didn't ask any further. Erza threw a glance forward, looking straight at the elderly man's back. She had learnt a lot of things about her mentor in the past month.

Rayleigh was a light-hearted, casual, and fun loving. Though, he often has a serious air. He enjoyed going with the flow and appearing in unexpected places and unexpected ways, but much to Erza's dislike. The man loved alcohol and women.

A soft sigh escaped her mouth as she thought back to the past month. The only thing he had taught her were the basis of holding a sword and stances. Erza quivered. Rayleigh doesn't really know how to hold back.

Noticing a soft sigh behind him, the silver cloaked man looked over his shoulder. His eyebrow raised slightly as he noticed his red-haired student quivered under her armor... was she cold?

A thoughtful look appeared across his face. Maybe it was because of the armor? He had suggested that she didn't have to wear it all the time, but the girl refused to listen, saying that she felt more secure with it on. Rayleigh sighed, Erza really liked weapons and armor. He didn't know why, but his student just couldn't keep her eye off them. Every time they went shopping, she would always stop at a certain blacksmith store, and just stare at the items on the shelves with her brown, glittering eye.

 **Growl~**

Taken by surprise. Rayleigh turned his head towards the sound. A chuckle escaped his mouth when he noticed a large blush on his student's face. Erza was holding stomach, clearly embarrassed.

"Still hungry?" He laughed quietly at the girl's miserable face.

Erza nodded timidly. That was embarrassing. She had already eaten just a few hours ago, there was no way she could ask for more...

 **WuuuussSH...**

The sound of ominous wind whispered through the trees, cutting the armored girl out of her embarrassment. Chills went down her spine, making her turn her head to her mentor. Her blood froze as she noticed the look on Rayleigh's face. The carefree expression was gone, and was replaced with a stern one.

This spelt trouble...

Looking around. Erza observed her surroundings.

The forest had gotten much darker; the sun's ray was unable to pierce through the thick leaves like it was able to just a minute ago. It was as if they were traveling in the night. Sweat started to bead down her forehead as she felt calculating eyes bore into her back. With a swift movement. The girl turned her head towards her teacher.

"R-Rayleigh-san," Whispered the redhead fearfully.

Rayleigh did not budge. He knew that there were predators of all kind around these areas, but he didn't need to worry about that. After all, they won't be doing anything rash if they knew what was good for them. He turned to face his student and smiled.

"Do not worry. We're almost there," He tried to calm the frightened girl down.

Erza nodded. She tried to keep up with his pace as much as she could so that she doesn't get left behind. As the two came out into the clearing. The eye patch wearing girl squinted her eye to adjust to the sunlight. An astonish expression flare onto her cherry face as she looked at the view before her.

A massive grassy plain that was stretched out far and wide into the horizon. No trees could be seen, just a few mountains and hills here and there. Forgetting all about the creatures that were watching her. The red haired girl asked out loud with excitement.

"Where are we, Rayleigh-san?!" She couldn't contain the smile on her face.

Rayleigh chuckled. He looked at the plain before him and hummed lightly.

"Fiore, Seven, and Bosco. This is a place where the three countries are connected together,"

A gobsmack expression appeared on Erza's face. Does that mean they were at the edge of Fiore? Impossible! They were walking on foot, there was no way they got here this quick... unless Rayleigh was really good with shortcut...

A sudden flash of memory hit her. She quickly turned her attention towards the man beside her.

"Rayleigh-san, is this the place where you said we will be training from now on?" Asked the girl to her teacher.

The old pirate smiled. My... what a smart girl.

"That is correct," He answered. Looking straight ahead of him, and narrowed his eyes, "Now then,"

Erza paid close attention. Was training starting already?

Closing his eyes. Rayleigh stretched his senses out far and wide, "There sure are a lot of uncontrollable beasts. I say about three hundred beings are out of your capabilities right now," He opened his eyes and rubbed his chin.

The armored girl tilted her head in confusion. What was he talking about? Numbers? Beasts? She watched as her mentor turned towards her.

"You have to get stronger, or you can't even sleep at night,"

She wasn't sure she understood, but she nodded her head anyway.

"How are you able to know about them and their numbers, Rayleigh-san?" She asked. Clearly confused.

The elderly man smiled, "This is something that concerns you. You must obtain this power," His eyes suddenly became serious, "The power called **Haki**!"

" **Haki**?" Questioned Erza.

Suddenly.

A massive tremor appeared out of nowhere. The redhead gasped in surprise as she wobbled here and there. She quickly looked at her teacher to see if he had any idea what was going on.

Rayleigh had a stern look on his face. He stood his ground, not budging at all.

 **Boom!**

Out of nowhere. A massive tarantula shot up from the ground. Rubbles flew everywhere as the Arachnid's body loomed over the two humans. Its hungry eyes bore down at its prey while its needles like fur glittered beneath the sun.

Erza Scarlet took a step back, her left eye widened in fear, "R-Rayleigh-san...," She whimpered.

With a mighty screech. The eight-legged creature went in for the killing blow. Its jaw expanded, revealing acid covered fangs. The red haired girl was in a complete panic. Her mind wasn't working straight.

"Listen well, Erza-kun," Said her mentor with a calm voice, " **Haki** is a latent power that everybody has," He began his lecture.

Erza didn't know what to pay attention to, Rayleigh's lecture or the giant tarantula that was coming closer and closer.

"Presence, fighting spirit, intimidation... it's no different from the senses that normal humans have," He continued, "However, most of them don't realise their power or don't know how to bring them out, until the very end,"

The look in his eyes made Erza stopped. All panic were gone as she felt a calm feeling washed over her body. She continued to stare until the next sentence struck her mind and heart.

"Having no doubt. That what makes you strong,"

And with that, Rayleigh closed his eyes as the tarantula came down like a meteor. The armor wearing girl tried to shout for him to move, but her words died in her throat when she saw her mentor side stepped the incoming attack.

Completely avoiding it.

Gaping like a fish. Erza could do nothing but watched as the Arachnid crashed to the ground, shattering the earth. A gust of wind, followed by a small shockwave blew past her. Making her short red hair sway.

"There are two prominent types of **Haki** ," Rayleigh began. Catching the girl's attention, "The one I used just now was the power to feel other's presence more strongly," He turned to face her.

"It is called **Observation Haki!** "

Astonishment filled Erza's face as she gawked. So there was a power like that... and it wasn't even magic.

"If you enhance this power, you can tell where your invisible enemy is, how many there are, and what their next move will be,"

 **Grrrawwl!**

The tarantula screeched. Shooting up to its feet. It glared down at the two humans with eyes burning in anger.

Rayleigh paid no mind and continued his lecture.

"Next is the **Armament Haki**. This power is the same as wearing an armor, and if the armor is hard enough. It can be used as the offensive power," He pulled out a long sword that was hidden beneath his cloak, "It can also be transferred to a weapon,"

Erza watched as the sword turned pitch black. It was as if void had engulfed its entire form. Her eye wavered, she was definitely going to focus on this one. After all, it might be very useful with her **Re:equip** magic.

The next sentence that came out of Rayleigh's mouth cut her out of her thoughts.

" **Observation Haki** , **Armament Haki**... those are the two types of **Haki** ," Seeing that the girl was paying close attention. The old pirate continued with a small smirk, "However, there are a few rare people who can use another kind of **Haki** ,"

Erza didn't even get to ask when the tarantula brainlessly used the same attack once more.

"Watch," Said Rayleigh loud and clear as he narrowed his eyes.

Suddenly. Erza felt a massive intimidation aura engulfed the whole area. Sweat bead down her forehead as her blood stopped. This feeling. It was the same as last time...

Blinking several times. The redhead widened her eye in disbelief at the sight before her. The tarantula... it fell to the ground. Unconscious.

"H-How...," Was the only thing that escaped her mouth.

"That was the power to intimidate your enemy, **Conqueror's Haki,** " Rayleigh stated, somewhat dramatic, "However, unlike the other two. You can control the **Conqueror's Haki** , but you can't train yourself to use it,"

Erza frown in confusion, "Why?" She asked.

The old man smiled. She was a good student , "That's because it's the owner's spirit itself. You can enhance it only by developing yourself,"

The redhead looked down at her hands, "Developing myself...," She muttered.

With a flick of his coat, Rayleigh looked at her fondly.

"I'm going to teach you the basis of **Observation Haki** and **Armament Haki** , most people would lean towards one type as their preference dictates. They find which one they prefer and strengthen that one" He said, looking at her with a knowing expression.

Erza pouted before an uncertain look appeared on her face.

"What about **Conqueror's Haki**?" She asked.

Rayleigh shook his head, "You are still too young for that, and I'm not even sure that you have it in you...,"

The armor wearing girl nodded. She doesn't really care, she was happy just like this.

"We will began your training tomorrow, so I suggest you rest as much as you can today," He said. Earning another happy nod from his student.

Erza watched as her teacher turned around to look at the unconscious Arachnid.

He rubbed his chin and spoke up unexpectedly.

"Now then... what do you say about grilled tarantula?"

Erza grimaced in disgust.

XXXX

"Naruto... you are one stupid kid; you know that?"

Gildarts tilted his head to dodge a small pebble that was thrown at him. A displease look on his face as he stared at the scowling boy.

"I don't want to hear that coming from you, old man," Naruto growled.

The two were seated on the rocks up on an unknown mountain in an unknown area. Cold, sharp wind brushed against their skin, making the two quivered. Gildarts's eyes drifted up towards the grey cloud... it was definitely going to snow.

The two of them had been playing the twenty questions game. Well, it was mostly just Gildarts asking serious questions and the whiskered boy giving half-arsed answers. The auburn haired man had lernt quite a lot about the young lad, the boy was rather laid back, has a foul mouth, and pretty much has no manners.

Well, he couldn't blame him. The kid was raised as a slave, after all.

"What is the mission about anyway?"

A question was thrown at him. The ace of Fairy Tail hummed. How should he explain this?

"Well, the client said that I have to eliminate a golem monster inside the Oath Ruin, the Ruin of Promises... Ever heard of it?" The only reply he got was a confused look.

The mission was fairly simple. All he had to do was find the location and defeat the trouble, but that was easy said than done. The town people said that the ruin's entrance was tricky to find, and apparently. There have been some morbid rumours about the place.

"Ruin? You mean that cave over there?" Said the boy casually. Pointing his thumb behind him.

As Gildarts's eyes travelled. A deadpan expression made its way across his face as he spotted a massive cave just right behind the blonde, hidden behind thick layers of ice. No... The entrance was pretty much covered by ice...

A sigh escaped the man's mouth. How did he not see it? It was right in front of him!

"So? How are you going to get in?" The blonde asked.

The auburn haired man rubbed his chin. "Easy," He replied.

Watching Gildarts getting up. Naruto watched silently as the older man moved towards the thick layer of ice. His eyes widened in surprise when powerful magic spike erupted from Gildarts's body.

"What-,"

He didn't get to say anything when lights filled the whole area, followed by a massive crash.

 **Boom!**

A massive gust of wind blew past him, making him cover his face. Naruto grunted when he felt small, cold pebbles hit him as if they were frozen needles, and as everything died down. The boy squinted his eyes to adjust to the lights. Only for a gobsmack expression to appear on his whiskered face.

There Gildarts was. Stood unmoving with his right hand extended. But that wasn't what surprise him the most. It was the perfectly square shaped ice cubes on the ground, they looked as if they were chipped to pieces.

"Well, that cleared the path," Came the casual comment.

Naruto gawked, "H-How...,"

Hearing the foul mouth boy's astonishment. The Fairy Tail mage couldn't help but smirked, " **Crash** magic," He answered simply.

Sweat began to bead down Naruto's head. So there was someone other than him who can do massive amount of damages to their surroundings. His untamed eyes bored into Gildarts's back. This old man was strong...

"Now then, I am going to get on with my business so I suggest you get out of here," The auburn haired man turned towards the blonde and made a shoo gesture with his hand. Treating the boy as if he was a dog.

Naruto snarled, "No way, I'm coming too," Then, an idea popped into his head. A small smirk appeared on his face, "Besides, there might be treasures hidden inside. The place is a ruin, after all," He said. Sounding slightly excited.

A deadpan expression covered Gildarts's face, "What are you, nine? This ain't no fantasy adventure, and besides. There's a fat chance of there being treasures,"

The whiskered boy growled, "Aaahhh? How do you know? You're just chatting shit!" His dream wasn't going to be crush by this hobo.

He stopped when a heavy sigh escaped the older man's mouth. Gildarts looked him with an unusually serious expression on his face.

"I'm being serious, Naruto. Don't follow me, it's dangerous,"

The two stared at each other in silence until the blonde scoffed and avoided eyes contact.

"Whatever...,"

A pang of guilt stabbed Gildarts straight in the heart. He could hear the disappointment in the boy's voice very clearly. Turning around, he began to stroll into the now opened cave. He stopped for a few seconds and glanced over his shoulder. Naruto was glaring down at the ground with a sad look on his face.

Rubbing his head. Gildarts began, "You know... it's not like we're not going to see each other again...,"

"Huh?"

Came Naruto's clever reply.

The two were now staring at each other once more, a blank expression met with a confused one.

"The hell are you talking about?" The boy asked.

"..."

Gildarts could do nothing but stared. This brat was seriously something else. Pinching the bridge of his nose. The ace of Fairy Tail groaned in annoyance.

"I don't care anymore,"

Raising a brow. Naruto watched as Gildarts ambled further inside the cave. What was his problem? The blonde was about to ask but stopped when he spotted small, white flakes gliding down from the corner of his eyes. Looking up. Naruto's face became amazed.

It was snowing.

All around him were grey clouds, dripping down snows as if they were heaven's ash. The whiskered boy quivered when the coldness seeped through his bones. The weather was getting colder. His eyes slowly dazed to the side where the entrance of the cave was... maybe he could go in? It might be warmer inside than out here.

Suddenly, Gildarts's word popped into his mind.

 _"It's dangerous,"_

"..."

Scoffing loudly. An uncaring expression made its way onto Naruto's face.

"The old man can shove those words up his ass. I'm thirteen, dammit. I can take care of myself,"

And without a care in the world. He chased after the Fairy Tail mage.

"Oi, wait up!"

XXXX

Darkness was all Gildarts could see. It hasn't been long since he entered the ruin and he could feel it already. He could feel the magic that was trapped inside the walls as he went deeper and deeper. The auburn haired man clicked his tongue when the air became chilly, as if there was something frozen ahead of him. Sweat began to pour down his head despite the cold. He felt like someone was watching him from all around. He turned his head to look at both sides, before a sudden goosebumps burst from his body.

 **Wwwuuuuuuusshhh~**

The wind whispered creepily in his ear. Gulping down his saliva. Gildarts tried his best to ignore the feeling and began to speed-walking. He just wanted to get this over and done with as fast as he possibly could!

Suddenly.

A flash of crimson light flickered lazily just ahead of him. Gildarts couldn't help but be taken back a little. Now that was definitely creepy. Preparing himself for the worst, the ace of Fairy Tail gathered his magic for **Crash**.

 **Flash!**

Without any warning. The whole area was lit up by unknown lights, making the auburn haired mage jerk back in surprise as he covered his face. Trying his best to adjust to the brightness, Gildarts blinked several times. His eyes widened when his vision cleared. He was inside a room, and around him were walls, covered in old style writing that he doesn't understand. But what surprised him the most was the massive eyeball painting up on the ceiling. It was as if the red eye was staring at him, right into his soul.

The feeling spider crawling on his skin made Gildarts froze. This place was way too creepy for his liking. The mage of Fairy Tail slowly turned his attention towards the front of him. There were now not one, but two path ways. It was making him decide which way, left or right? Rubbing his chin, a thoughtful look made its way onto his face.

"Man... this place gives me the creep,"

Gildarts slowly turned around. A plain look on his face when a certain flip flops wearing blonde came into his view.

"I told you not to follow me...,"

The boy just scoffed at him, "It's snowing outside,"

Sighing. The middle age man scratched his head in irritation. How was he going to do this?

"So, which way are you going?"

The question from the blonde cut him out of his thoughts.

"Who said that you're coming with me?"

Naruto looked at the older man and pointed his thumb towards his chest, "Me," He answered. Somewhat annoyed.

The two stared at each other blankly. God, they had been doing this quite a lot lately.

Breaking the intense staring contest. Gildarts decided to give up. He doesn't have the time for this nonsense.

"Whatever... just don't come crying to me if you die or something...," He muttered.

Only for the bird to be flipped at him.

Naruto stared with a casual body posture. An amusement expression on his face when Gildarts's body trembled in anger.

"Do you need to use the toilet?"

 _"Calm down, calm down, calm down!"_ The mage chanted.

Ignoring the blonde's childish comment. Gildarts scowled, pointing his finger at the boy in a nagging manner as he began to walk towards the two separated paths.

"You stay here! Do not move from this room, do you understand?!" He ordered, but the boy just waved him off.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just go already,"

Watching the middle age man clicked his tongue away like a child. An irritated look spread across Naruto's face.

"That old man really needs to get laid," He murmured aloud.

 ** _Glup_**

The sound of an unknown movement caught Naruto's ears. He looked up at the ceiling, only to freeze in shock. Staring straight at him was a massive, bulging eyeball. The blood vessels in the eye looked so thick as if they were going explode at any moment. But that wasn't what surprised him the most. It was the way the eye was looking at him. Naruto could feel goosebumps looming all over his body, he felt as if his soul was being watched...

Creepy...

But now that he mentioned it... how come he hadn't noticed this when he came in? If he remembered correctly. Up on the ceiling was a painting of an eyeball...

...

Jerking back, the boy cried uncharacteristically.

"G-Gildarts! Wait for me!"

XXXX

Once again, darkness was the only thing Gildarts could see. He frowned slightly as he looked at the unseeable floor, he should of have been more prepared. Maybe bring a torch or something...

Scoffing loudly, he shook his head. He himself was an S class mage dammit. Not being able to see anything won't stop him! The Fairy Tail mage had decided to go to the left side of the path way, which had led him into this situation. Sighing to himself... Gildarts wondered if the whiskered blonde boy was doing alright...

Suddenly, while he was strolling aimlessly inside the darkness. The auburn haired man felt one of his foot sank into what seemed to be a shallow water area. With a raise of his eyebrow, he slowly took another step forward, carefully touching underneath the water surface.

 **Clank.**

Gildarts froze.

The ground... it moved.

No...

It was as if, something was piled up.

Like... bones.

Without a warning, crimson lights lit up the whole area. Gildarts widened his eyes as his vision became cleared. Swiftly looking around, the only thing he saw was that he was in a wide spread area that seemed to stretched far into the horizon of darkness. It seemed endless.

 **Drip Drip Drip**

"..."

His eyes glided down, cold sweat drained down his forehead to his chin as he saw the image that would burn into his memory. Underneath him were rotten bones and skulls of dead people, piled up together as if they had been like that for centuries under the shallow water. Gildarts did his best to not lose his cool. He jerked back a little to look at the whole image.

"What hell is this place...," He muttered with shock.

This place... it was as if he was inside a nightmare.

Nothing was making sense.

Trying his best to stay calm. The ace of Fairy Tail began to stroll through the hell ground, looking everywhere to find a way to get out of the endless field of the dead.

Unnoticed to him, a giant red eye was boring straight into his soul from far above.

XXXX

"Fuck off!"

Naruto cussed for the hundredth time as he snarled venomously at the giant eye above him. The boy had been storming through the ancient ruin like an unstoppable force, going through many rooms and pathways, ignoring every single creepy subject that tried to get in his way…

It was as if the eye was trying to make him go the other direction…

Frowning as he came into another room. Naruto looked at his surroundings, taking in as much details as he could. The room was old and dusty; many cracks were clutching onto the walls that were decorated with strange patterns.

Looking up. A deadpan expression merged onto his face as he spotted the similar red eye, bulging at him with anger. Ignoring the creepy eyeball. Naruto moved his focus onto what was in front of him.

There were three pathways.

The one on the left was dark and gloomy, giving off an unpleasant aura, and the other two were dull and plain…

Naruto stared.

It was so obvious; they were not even trying!

Walking up towards the left pathway, Naruto looked behind him. The eye on the ceiling was glaring straight at him with burning rage.

Hmm… suspicious.

A curiosity look appeared on his whiskered face. How did he not see this before? This place was definitely hiding something. With a sly smile, the blonde began to walk inside the unpleasant path way.

Coming here might be a good idea after all.

…

A massive tremor appeared out of nowhere and shook the whole area awake. Naruto stumbled here and there, trying not to fall off his feet. Sweat began to pore down his head as he looked back at the eyeball on the ceiling. His eyes widened in fright.

There was nothing.

The eye was gone.

The tremor shook louder making the boy grunt, and oddly. Naruto could hear sounds that were similar to footsteps. Preparing himself for the worst. The blonde haired child backed away a little, something inside told him that he was in danger.

All of a sudden. A massive hand made out of diamond shot through the walls. Naruto didn't have time to react as it crashed against him. A painful grunt escaped from his mouth as he was sent sprawling backward and skidded across the ground. Many rubbles were sent flying randomly in all directions, making it rain.

Struggling to get up. Naruto felt a sharp pain in his knee dual to broken bones. He peered up with difficulties to see who or what his attacker was. The blonde's eyes bulged slightly as a massive golem like creature came into view. Its diamond body glimmered brightly in the dark, making the boy grow in awe. Naruto continued to stare as his eyes travelled towards the golem's face. The monster only has one eye, and that eye looked exactly the same to the one that was on the ceiling.

Feeling the broken bones in his knee healed. Naruto instantly shot up to his feet. A snarl erupted from his face as he stared at the diamond golem before him. He doesn't know what was going on, but he knew that he was in serious danger.

Getting a better look. The blonde was amazed by the golem's size. It was big, way too big. It was as big as a small mountain. He wondered how such a big creature like this got in here. Naruto was cut out of his thoughts when the monster loomed over him, its red eye bored down into his soul.

Without wasting any moment, the one eyed golem pulled its massive fist back, making Naruto widen his eyes.

There was no turning back now.

Being the reckless boy he was. He threw a punch at the air, shattering it, and left a massive crack in the empty space. The blonde grunted loudly as the diamond fist struck down, causing massive shockwaves to explode everywhere. He could feel the earth beneath him being destroyed into bits as the force of the punch kept coming down on him. Naruto gritted his teeth in irritation.

 _"Where the hell is Gildarts?!"_

XXXX

Staring at the sight before him. Gildarts, the ace of Fairy Tail could not find the word to describe what was in front of him. His body trembled with the feeling that he hasn't felt in a very long time. There in front of him were massive mountains of gold, piled up on top of each other waiting to be collected. Trying to calm himself down, the man shook his head.

There was no way that this was real. There must be a trap somewhere.

Observing his surroundings, Gildarts frowned slightly. From what he could tell, he was inside an old storage room. There were many ancient paintings on the walls and there was some sort of magic rune carved into the stone on the ceiling.

This place certainly doesn't look trust worthy.

The mage let out a small 'hmph' before turning back. He was here the eliminate a golem, not treasure hunting.

…

Peeking behind his shoulder a tiny bit. A dribble of saliva somehow managed to escape his mouth.

"Ehehe~,"

Gildart's face looked like he was in heaven.

Maybe…

Just maybe. Getting some gold would be fine, right? The amount of money he could spend on women and alcohol… it was like a dream come true!

 **Crack!**

Out of nowhere, a massive tremor shook the whole place wildly. Gildarts snapped out of his day dream and became alerted. He swiftly looked around, trying to locate any enemies on sight.

"What the hell's going on-,"

He was interrupted when a familiar boy with bright blonde hair burst through the walls, arms and legs flying wildly as he crashed to the ground, and skidded uncontrollably across the room.

Gildarts wasted no time and quickly rushed over, worries were shown on his face as he tramped all over the expensive looking artefacts as if they were nothing but pebbles.

"O-Oi, brat-,"

His word died in his mouth when Naruto shot up to his feet. Blood were dripping down his head to his toe, making him look like an undead corpse. Observing the boy more closely, the mage of Fairy Tail cringed slightly as he saw the broken bones on the arms and legs.

"Hey…," Gildarts began, sweat of nervousness dripped down his forehead.

Naruto did not listen. His attention was ahead of him where he had been sent flying through. The boy gritted his teeth and turned towards the older man.

"Hey Gildarts,"

Said man raised a brow. That was the first time his name had been used by the boy. Seeing that Gildarts was listening. Naruto continued.

"On a scale of one to ten… how strong are you?"

"Ten,"

The answer came instantly with a deadpan expression.

Naruto stared. Before he could make a remark, massive footsteps shook the ground heavily. The dual looked towards the hole in the wall. Gildarts was about to ask what was going on, but stopped when the blonde spoke up.

"Here it comes,"

His answer was spoken when a gigantic golem beast with diamond body burst through the walls, sanding rubbles flying everywhere. Its giant red eye glared down at the two humans. With a brainless action, it heavily rushed towards the two smaller beings, shattering the earth along the way with its right fist pulled back.

"What-,"

Taken by surprise. Gildarts could do nothing but gawk at the sight. Shaking his head mentally, the Fairy Tail mage quickly turned towards the younger boy.

"Naruto, stay out of this-,"

He did not get to finish when said boy sprang forward. Launching himself up into the air straight at the monster with his own fist pulled back. Gildarts stared with wide eyes. This brat, is he trying to get himself killed?!

With nothing to do but watch. The auburn haired man covered his face with his arms as the two clashed. Shockwaves and wind were sent everywhere, blowing away the ancient artefacts as well as many pebbles on the ground.

Peering forward Gildarts widened his eyes when he noticed the massive crack floating in the air where Naruto's fist had landed. He let out a gasp when the ground started to break apart, the walls began to crumble and the ceiling slowly falling into pieces.

Gritting his teeth. Naruto once again failed to power forward. The golem was way too strong, its unstoppable punch sent him sprawling backward. Thinking that he was going to crash to the ground. The boy braced himself as much as he could.

…

But the impact never came.

Instead.

Two pair of strong arms caught him before he was about to hit the ground.

Gildarts grunted as he skidded backward. Damn, this golem must be insanely strong to be able to put this much force into a single punch. Looking down at the boy in his arm, the mage smirked.

"Heh, how come you never told anything about your power?" He asked, trying to brighten up the mood.

Naruto was way too exhausted to answer. The only thing that came out of his mouth was a bloody cough. Placing the boy down, Gildarts turned to glare at the beast before him. The golem looked ready for just about anything.

With a swift movement, the ace of Fairy Tail took his tattered cloak off in a flashy style. He cracked his knuckles.

"I will be your opponent," He stated to the brainless beast.

Feeling a little bit of strength regaining to his body. Naruto peered up.

"O-Oi…,"

The auburn haired man smirked down at him.

"Just stay still and watch. You're way too reckless for your own good,"

With that said, he began to amble towards the golem. The blonde haired boy was about to shout for him to get out of the way as he saw the beast got ready to throw another punch. Gildarts narrowed his eyes, and with his mighty strength. He rammed his fist down at the ground. The earth shattered into strange looking cubes, making the one eyed golem loses its balance. As the gigantic creature was falling head first. Gildarts clenched his right fist tightly, magic began to build up around his fist as he launched a powerful uppercut at the golem's face.

" **Crash!** "

A massive shockwave exploded from the impact, flipping the diamond creature upside down as if it was a rag doll. Naruto grunted loudly as he dug his fingers into the earth, trying to keep himself in balance as massive frenzies of wind blew past him. As everything died down, he peered up. His eyes widened unbelievably at the sight before him. There Gildarts stood, unmoving with his back turned. The golem was on its back, unmoving.

"W-Wow," He muttered with a gobsmacked expression.

Hearing the boy's astonishment, the auburn haired man turned around and smirked. He was about to boast but stopped when he saw the look on the boy's face.

"Gildarts, behind you!"

Swiftly turning around. He was met with a giant fist to the face.

Naruto watched speechlessly as the older man was sent flying backward and crashing against the wall, shattering it completely. A snarl made its way onto his face as he turned his attention back towards the golem. He wasn't too worried about Gildarts, he was sure that the old man wouldn't die from an attack like that.

"Damn you…," Naruto murmured.

This beast was unstoppable.

Hearing footsteps behind him, the boy peeked over his shoulder to see Gildarts staggered slightly towards him.

"Dammit," The auburn haired man rubbed his face. God that hurts.

"Seems like you're getting old,"

A vein popped on his forehead. Gildarts growled at the boy.

"Shut up you brat!"

"Whatever,"

 **Ggrrrrrraaaawwwwooolll…**

The two stopped chatting and widened their eyes when the golem leaped up high into the air and dived down towards them. The Fairy Tail mage did not waste any moment and forcefully grabbled the blonde haired boy's shirt collar and leaped to the side. Completely avoided the monstrous attack that obliterated the earth's crust. The two sprawled wildly as they met the ground. Grunting in pain, Gildarts quickly got on his feet. How could something as big as this moved so fricking fast?!

Hearing the boy next to him coughed, he couldn't help but questioned.

"You alright?"

Naruto didn't answer. He slowly stood up and glared at the unstoppable beast.

"How do we kill that thing?"

A little taken back by the word 'kill'. Gildarts stared blanking at the boy, he shook his head slightly before becoming serious.

"I say the best thing to do is make it loses balance," He suggested.

The whiskered boy raised an eyebrow.

"Balance you say…,"

The auburn haired man did not know why, but he felt an unknown chill down his spine when he saw a sly smile on Naruto's face. He was cut out of his musing when the boy turned towards him.

"Hey old man, get ready to use your strongest attack,"

Hearing that, Gildarts couldn't help but look on with curiosity. It seemed like the brat had a plan.

"Hmph, just don't get blown away and regret it," He commented, causing Naruto to scoff.

"I won't,"

Gildarts did not say any further and began to gather his magic for **Empayren**. The one eyed golem got up from its last attack and turned towards the two. With another brainless move filled with wrath. Its raised its diamond fist and slowly ran towards the two humans, making the ground shake on the way.

Gildarts waited for the right moment. His eyes widened in shock as he noticed the air around him…

Everything was filled with dread.

Turning his head to the blonde. The auburn haired man could do nothing but watched with a gobsmacked expression. The boy's body that used to be filled with bruises and cuts were now healed, as if nothing had happened. The only thing that remained were the blood stains. He did not get to ask when Naruto went into a stance. He lifted both of his arms up and made a motion as he was grabbing air. A confused expression made its way on to his face, what was the boy doing?

…

The only answer he got was when Naruto yanked the air down.

And before Gildarts knew it.

Fiore trembled to its core.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2: This feeling

(Two years later)

A fourteen year old Erza Scarlet stood excitedly in front of a train in Clover Town's train station. A backpack twice the size of her body slung over her shoulders. Her long scarlet hair was now tied up into a long braid behind her back. She wore a white eye patch which was covering her right eye, a simple breastplate armor that hid her upper body. A white skirt that covers her dark blue trousers which was tucked into her brown combat boots. On her side was a sword that was being held up tightly by a brown belt. The redhead softly inhaled the smell of oil and metal that was floating in the air, today was the day she will leave for her journey to Fairy Tail. She turned around with a smile to the elder man who was standing not so far behind her.

Erza bowed her head in gratitude, "Thank you for everything, Rayleigh-san!"

Rayleigh chuckled as he brushed her off. The redhead had changed a lot in these past 2 years. She had developed a strict personality and she would always take every little thing way too seriously. The girl had gotten a lot stronger and excels at everything he taught her, all she needed now was the experience of being in a real battle.

"No need to thank me," He said before noticing the people around them gawking at her backpack. Rayleigh felt sweats bead down his forehead, "Is that backpack really necessary?"

Erza nodded with a serious face, "Yes, everything in here is very important," She stated.

The elderly man strokes his bearded chin before raising an eyebrow, "Couldn't you just store it using your **Re:equip** Magic?" He asked.

The redhead shook her head with seriousness, "No, my storage space is full,"

Rayleigh chuckled. Knowing Erza, her storage space was probably filled with unnecessarily items and accessories. He smiled and shook his head before reaching into his silver hooded cloak. The eye patched girl raised her eyebrow when she saw her mentor pulled out a small white paper with his name written on it.

Rayleigh noticed the questioning look on her face.

"This is a Vivre Card. They will point to and move towards each other no matter where they are in the world, allowing one to always be able to tell in which direction the other person is," He explained before pulling out a lighter and lit the card on fire. Erza stared with surprise when the card did not ignite.

"This card is completely waterproof and fireproof, but it can be torn and given to a cared person that one would be separated from," He added before giving it to the girl, "The card also display the life force of their owner. If the life of the person who gave the Vivre Card is vanishing, the card will begin to burn. It will grow back to its original size if the person recovers," He finished.

Erza nodded. She was about to thank him but was interrupted by the announcement.

 _'The train at platform 07 will be departing to Oshibana in 10 minutes'_

The announcement echoed through the busy station. Both Erza and Rayleigh turned their attention towards each other, and the elderly man gave the redhead a smile.

"You better get on before it departs," He suggested.

Erza nodded before hopping on the train. She turned around and thanked him one more time, "Thank you for taking care of me Rayleigh-san,"

Rayleigh chuckled as he waved his hand at her, "Be sure to come and visit sometimes alright?" He requested.

The redhead nodded, "I will and I shall tell you all about my adventures when we meet again," She promised.

With that said, she turned around and walked into the train's corridor. Rayleigh could only sweat dropped when he saw Erza struggled to get her backpack through the narrow door. He shook his head and smiled as the train started to depart. It would get a little bit lonely without a granddaughter figure around. Rayleigh turned back towards the exit before heading out of the station with a tired sigh.

Now then… what should he do today?

XXXX

Staring at the bowl of noodles before him. A fifteen year old boy with bright blonde hair in casual clothing sat at the counter of a no name restaurant with a curiosity expression on his face. Naruto was alone all by himself, there were customers around. He guessed that it had something to do with the restaurant not being popular. Turning his attention towards the single chef. He questioned rudely.

"Hey old man, what's this stuff called again?"

The old chef at the counter did not even give him a glance.

"It's ramen, did you not read the menu?"

Naruto didn't say another word. He looked back down at the bowl again and fiddled with the chopstick in his right hand.

This stuff was good.

The chef went back to do what ever he was doing before stopping and cringed as the loud sound of slurping was made by his only customer.

This kid has no table manners at all.

...

Finishing the bowl. Naruto placed it down and wiped his mouth with his fore arm. A thoughtful look appeared on his face as he listened to the sound of the boiling stew the chef was cooking. It has been two years since the Oath Ruin incident. Naruto himself had grown quite a bit, he went to different towns and cities, meeting all kinds of people. Hell, he even learnt how to read!

Though, nothing much had happened after he parted ways with Gildarts. A bored look morphed into his whiskered face as he played with the chop sticks on the table. His every day life now just consist of lazing around under the sun and eating all kinds of delicious local food. Life was pretty carefree at the moment.

Though, there were some fights here and there, but it wasn't a big deal. Naruto looked down at his hand.

His powers, though.

Being able to regenerate all kinds of injuries was cool and all, but the power he discovered in the tower was something else. Being allow to creating powerful shockwaves by shattering the air like glass, and causing tsunami was way beyond him. A soft sigh escaped his mouth as he leaned back lazily on the chair.

"Anything else you want to order?"

The sound of the old chef's grumpy voice cut him out of his thoughts. Shaking his head, Naruto replied.

"No,"

Reaching into his pocket, the blonde pulled out old dirty looking coins. A blank look on his face as he stared.

"How much?" He asked.

The old chef's expression did not change, "59 Jewels"

Heh, how convenient. He got just about 65 Jewels.

Paying the chef. Naruto picked up his cheap looking backpack and slung it over his shoulder.

"Keep the change,"

The owner of the restaurant raised an eyebrow. He watched as the teen began to amble towards the exit. Stepping outside the rundown restaurant, a sigh escaped the blonde's mouth.

He was broke...

Maybe he should consider doing pick pocketing instead of odd jobs.

XXXX

Erza Scarlet looked on in astonishment as she slowly made her way through the main street of Magnolia Town. The afternoon sun lit up the whole street, making it look as if it was glowing. The redhead frown in disappointment as she observed her surroundings, some shops were already closed, and there weren't many people walking around. Maybe it was because she had arrived in the late afternoon. She looked up and stared at the building up ahead.

Fairy Tail.

It was the biggest building in the town and was easy to spot. Erza smiled as she saw the orange symbol hanging from the top of the guild, it looked exactly like the one on Rob's back. She shook her head slightly, trying not to remember the sad memory. She began to speed up her walking pace.

It was getting late, hopefully, the guild hasn't close yet.

XXXX

Makarov sighed tiredly as he stared at the mug of beer in his right hand. There has been a lot of earthquakes occurring in the past two years. The citizen of Fiore and the Magic Council has gone into an uproar. At first they thought it was just natural disasters, but then realised that it might be someone causing it. There was no way earthquakes could tilt the ground, turning it upside down, and besides. The other countries have not received any earthquakes at all, only Fiore. Though, it could have been the kid that Gildarts told him about, Naruto. Apparently the kid could create earthquakes and shockwaves just by smashing the air. It was a fearsome power, Makarov have to admit.

Looking around the guild hall, there weren't many people around. Most had gone home to rest since it was quite late. He turned his attention to the side where the squeaky noises were heard. The midget narrowed his eyes in slight concern.

"Natsu, Gray," He called out, catching the two boy's attention, "Shouldn't you be going home? It's getting late," He said, causing the two boys to frowned in slight displeasure.

"Eh?! But I don't want to!" Natsu whined loudly.

"Yeah gramps! The sun is still out!" Gray added.

The third Master of Fairy Tail sighed tiredly before staring impassively at the young mages. The two boys loved to fight and compete against each other. There wasn't a day where they did not fight. The elderly man was about to retort but stopped when he spotted a red haired girl standing in front of the guild's door. He didn't know why, but the girl gave off a serious and intimidating aura. His eyebrow was raised when he spotted the massive backpack that was slung over her shoulders. She looked like a traveller, but the eye patch and the armor she wore clearly showed that she was a fighter. He put down the mug in his hand, jumped off the counter, walking towards the armored girl.

"Hello there, what can I help you with?" He asked kindly.

Erza looked down at the dwarf-like man and raised her eyebrows in recognition. The man looked exactly like the one from the stories Rob used to tell her.

"Is Master Makarov here?" She asked.

The midget man smiled and pointed his thumb towards his tiny chest, "That's me!" He stated, "What do you need child?"

A serious expression appeared on the redhead's face as she stared directly into the elderly man's eyes, "I need to talk to you," She said.

Makarov looked back at her confusedly, what could she be so serious about?

Natsu and Gray stared silently as their master took the armored girl inside his office. They had to admit, the redhead looked very intimidating. Natsu turned his attention towards his rival.

"Who was that?" He asked excitedly.

Gray shrugged his shoulder as he stared, somewhat agitated, "Don't know. But she looked scary," He said.

The pink haired boy's fist lit up in flame, "Yeah, I wanna fight her!" He yelled out in excitement.

"Aye!" Happy, who was floating next to him commented.

Gray scoffed loudly, "Heh, it will be me who will fight her. After all, I'm stronger than you,"

"Oh yeah?! Underwear freak!"

"Bring it on, flame brain!"

The two banged their forehead against one another as rivalry sparks threw everywhere.

XXXX

"Hmm, I see,"

Makarov looked down at the table sadly. The girl, Erza had told him about what happened to Rob, his old friend had passed away two years ago. The midget master clenched his fists, if only he had known of this much earlier.

Calming himself down. He looked up, only to see a sad frown on the redhead's face. Apparently, she was trained by this Rayleigh person and was very confident in her own skills. The guild master waved her off when she bowed her head to apologize.

"It's alright, you don't need to apologize. What's done is done, and it's not your fault," He smiled at her.

Erza nodded, "Thank you,"

Makarov chuckled, how polite, "Now then," He said before pulling a stamp from one of the drawers, "where would you like your guild mark?"

...

Stepping out of his office with Erza right behind him. The third master of Fairy Tail raised his eyebrows and scratched his head as he saw the empty guild hall.

"Eh? Had everybody gone home already?" He asked no one in particular.

"Hey gramps!" Shouted the two boys as they ran towards the tiny guild master.

Said master sighed tiredly before staring at the boys, "Why are you still here, Natsu, Gray?" He asked as he looked between the two, "Everybody already left and it's getting dark,"

"Eh?! Common gramps, don't be such a bore," Natsu whined, he turned his attention to the armored girl and smirked, "Besides, I want to fight her!" He exclaimed, pointing his finger rudely.

"What?! I will be the one who'll fight her!" Gray cried.

"No, me!"

The annoying sound of arguments between little kids rang through the silent guild hall. Makarov's vein popped, these two were giving him a headache.

"Quiet!"

The two children stopped in their tracks as the midget stomped his cane down at the ground, making it shake slightly.

Both Natsu and Gray quickly shut their mouth as their body quivered. Erza's eye widened ins surprise. The master must be very strong to be able to shake the whole guild just by this little action.

"Both of you should go back to your homes before it gets completely dark," Suggested Makarov, glaring at the two boys in front of him.

Natsu and Gray both gave a defeated whine before quickly leaving the guild, not wanting to face the midget's wrath. Makarov turned his attention back to the redhead not far behind him and smiled.

"Now then, do you have a place to stay? If not, then you can stay in Fairy Hills," He suggested.

Erza tilted her head in confusion, "Fairy Hills?"

The elderly man chuckled, "Well, it's Fairy Tail's female's dormitory, where most of the female guild members live. The rent is 100,000 Jewels a month, but girls can have multiple rooms so the rent can increase from there," He explained, "Discounts are not possible though," He added.

Erza nodded her head, taking in the information.

"Here," Makarov said as he reached into his robes and pulled out a leaflet, "This will tell the location and other informations,"

The eye patched girl gladly took it and thanked him before picking up her belongings and headed out of the guild. A tired sigh escaped Makarov's mouth as he watched the girl leave. He turned around and observed the now empty guild hall.

"Now then, better lock this place up,"

XXXX

Erza followed the map on the leaflet in her hands, the location was pretty close to the guild. She looked up when someone called out to her, only to see a pink haired boy from earlier in the guild, Natsu, blocking her path.

Erza raised her eyebrow, "Shouldn't you be going home?" She asked.

Ignoring the question. Natsu's fists lit up in flames and smirked, "Let's fight!" He yelled.

The redhead frowned a little as she stared at the boy's flaming fists.

 _"Fire Magic?"_ She mused.

Erza exhaled deeply before staring deeply into the younger boy's eyes.

"Couldn't we just fight tomorrow?" She questioned with maturity. Honestly, she just wanted to get a place to stay and rest. Today was a tiring day.

"No way! I want to fight now!" He whined.

Erza sighed tiredly, there was no way of getting out of this was there?

"Alright," She said, causing Natsu to beam and cheered loudly. The redhead dropped her backpack and stared sharply, "Let's get this over with,"

Natsu narrowed his eyes, he felt like he was being looked down on, and he did not like it.

"Oh yeah?" He growled out before running towards the older girl with his fist aflame.

Erza observed calmly, the boy was sloppy and slow. She clenched her right fist, coating it in **Armament Haki** and dashed forward. Natsu stopped in surprise.

 _"F-Fast!"_

Erza was right in front of him, and he was wide open. The redhead ducked down and launched out a powerful uppercut, sending Natsu flying into the air.

The young Dragon Slayer came crashing down to the ground. Coughing lightly, Natsu struggled to get up. He nearly lost consciousness for a second there.

"That hurts," He growled in pain.

That punch was way stronger than Gray's. He rubbed the spot where he had been hit. What was up with that black looking armor thing?

Erza crossed her arms and stared sharply at him, "Is that all you got?" She asked, making the younger boy scowl.

"No,"

The eye-patched girl raised her eyebrow when Natsu took a stance and began to take a deep breath. His cheeks bugled up as he pulled his body back.

 **"Fire Dragon's Roar!"**

Erza's widened her eye in surprise as flames erupted from the pink haired boy's mouth. Natsu watched as the flames hit the target and caused an explosion. He cheered loudly, believing that he had won. His eyes widened as the dust cleared. Stood there was Erza, but this time, her armor turned jet black, and she looked uninjured.

"W-what?" He spurted out.

Erza stood, completely still, "Come, let's finish this," She said with a steel voice.

Natsu gritted his teeth and clenched his right fist tightly. The boy wasted no time and dashed forward with his fist pulled back.

 **"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"**

Natsu roared, swinging his flaming fist forward with all his might. Erza saw it coming and easily sidestepped, she coated her leg in **Haki** and roundhouse kicked the pinked haired boy right in the stomach. The air was knocked out of Natsu's lungs as he was sent flying backward and sprawled across the ground.

Erza sighed when she saw the younger boy coughed rapidly before getting up on his feet.

"You should just stay down," She said.

The little boy narrowed his eyes, wobbling slightly from side to side. He pulled his fist back when he saw Erza slowly making her way towards him.

"Uraaagh!" Natsu cried and sloppily swung his fist at her.

He didn't make any contact when the redhead sucker punched the side of his stomach. The impact sent a quick shock wave through his body, his eyes rolled back and he fell to his knees, unconscious. Before his face could hit the ground, Erza quickly caught him with her arms. She held him carefully as a fond smile appeared on her face.

"You did well,"

Though, it was a mismatched, but the boy got some fighting sprite. She stood there for about a minute, not knowing what to do. Natsu was completely out cold.

Maybe she should have gone a little bit easy on him?

XXXX

(Two months after Erza joined Fairy Tail)

Gildarts Clive strolled through the busy street of Margaret Town, the town was one of the major cities in Fiore, housing a significant population, gaining its reputation as a home to one of Fiore's strongest guilds, Lamia Scale. The town was located by a river which separated the town into two major parts which were connected by a bridge.

The tattered cloaked man looked over his shoulders left and right. The street here was really busy, it was as if he was back in Magnolia again. Shaking his head lightly, Gildarts continued to stroll forward. Right now he was on another S rank mission.

S rank mission...

The mentioning of S rank brought him back to the Oath Ruin incident. After witnessing Naruto's powers, he couldn't help but be interested. Their powers were very similar, both were just as destructive as the other. Gildarts sighed, he had asked if the boy would like to train under him, and as he expected. He was turned down straight away.

 **Crash!**

Blinking in stupidity. Gildarts looked around, sweat began to pore down his forehead as the town people stared at him in shock and horror. There he went and done it again...

He had accidentally walked into a random house, completely obliterating it.

A chuckle escaped his mouth as he scratched the back of his head.

"Sorry about that,"

...

After being nagged by the owner of the house and many apologies. Gildarts strolled through the most peaceful side of the town. A sullen look on his face as he ambled aimlessly. He really did not want to go back to the guild. Master was probably going to complain to him about breaking properties when he gets back.

The S class mage sighed. Today was going really bad for him...

 **Groooawwl~**

His stomach rumbled loudly out of nowhere. Looking around, Gildarts tried to find some place close to eat. Minutes went by as he walked. He came to a stop in front of a local restaurant, the place looked nothing out of an ordinary. Taking a step inside, the auburn haired man was greeted with an an empty restaurant. At the counter was an old lady reading a newspaper, her face looked like she was good at nagging. Gildarts decided that he didn't like her.

He was about to leave but stopped when a flash of blonde was spotted from the corner of his eyes.

Could it be?

With a swift movement. The tattered cloaked man was now standing right in front of the table where a blonde teen was seated, slurping away the noodles in the bowl. Gildarts couldn't help but smirk, what a coincidence.

Naruto stopped eating and looked up when the sound of fake coughing was heard. His eyes widened in surprise.

"Gildarts?" He asked with his mouthful of food.

The ace of Fairy Tail stared with a small smile. The brat was still the same as ever...

"Yo," He greeted before popping himself onto the chair opposite the blonde, "So, whatcha been up to lately?" He asked, somewhat interested.

The blonde stared at him for a moment before going back to his steaming noodles, "Nothing much, just the usual stuff,"

 _"Like turning mountains upside down?"_ Gildarts wanted to retort, but stopped himself and grabbed a menu from the side of the table.

"Well, you should be more careful from now on, kid," He advised.

The whiskered teen stopped and swallowed the food in his mouth. With a questioning look, he asked the older man.

"What do you mean?"

The auburn haired man lifted his eyes from the menu and stared at Naruto in slight surprise, "What, you haven't heard?"

Shaking his head, the blonde replied, "No,"

Gildarts stared dumbly. He reached into his tattered cloak and pulled out a newspaper, tossing to the whiskered teen.

"You want me to read?" Naruto stared, causing the Fairy Tail mage to look at him with a smug expression.

"What? You don't know how to read?"

A vein popped on the blonde's forehead. Trying his best to ignore the comment, Naruto began to skim through the newspaper.

...

...

...

Damn... he had caused a lot of damages in these past years. He didn't even realise that Fiore was in chaos. Turning his attention back at Gildarts. Naruto asked uncertainly.

"So... am I being hunted or something?"

The tattered cloaked man shook his head, "Not quite, but close. They are suspecting something,"

Massaging his forehead. Naruto couldn't help but groan in irritation. What now? The council was after him. He wondered what would happen if he was to be captured. The old memories of the tower came to his mind, being stuck inside the dark prison cell, stripped away from his freedom... he did now want to be marked as a criminal, dammit.

Seeing the troubled look on the teen's whiskered face Gildarts began.

"I could suggest something,"

Naruto perked up.

"And what would that be?" He asked, feeling somewhat uncomfortable as he saw the look on Gildarts's face.

"Join Fairy Tail,"

The blonde haired teen stared. A frown appeared on his whiskered face as he stared.

"How would that help?"

The Fairy Tail mage rubbed his chin, "Well, you can stay low until everything calm down, and plus. There's a bunch of quests you can do to earn decent money," Seeing that the boy was listening, Gildarts smiled and continued, "Everyone there treats each other as if they're one big family,"

Naruto went silent for a moment as the words sank into his brain.

Family...

He did not know why, but that word gave him a strange feeling of longing. Moving his hand from where his heart was. Naruto felt a slight pang of pain.

Gildarts noticed this action and raised an eyebrow.

"So, what do you say?" He questioned, but the only answer he got was an unreadable expression and a simple reply.

"I will think about,"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The one sided fight

 _Inside a dark sewer, a little boy could be seen sitting against the massive prison bars. He held his knee tightly to his chest, staring at his reflection in the shallow water below him. His head ducked low and curled up into a ball. Behind him were two pairs of gigantic red eyes, staring deeply into his small back._

" _ **What's the matter?**_ _" Its deep voice echoed through the empty sewer._

 _The child frowned in sadness as he stared deeply into his own reflection, "K#####, what makes a person strong?" He asked timidly._

 _Silence rang through space for a brief moment. The creature closed its eyes and gave a loud snort, "_ _ **Why do you want to know that?**_ _" It asked, but the boy didn't answer. It reopened its eyes once again, staring at the child and sighed, "_ _ **There are many things that make a person strong. Power, strong mind, talent, and many others. But to me, to be truly strong, you must need an ideal**_ _,"_

 _The child perked up and stared into the gigantic creature's red eyes with his blue ones, "Ideal?" He asked._

 _The creature nodded, "_ _ **Something that you believe in, either good or bad.**_ _ **One would say that protecting someone precious to them would make them truly strong, others would say something completely different**_ _,"_

 _The boy nodded as he took in the information, he smiled and quickly stood up, "What about you, what do you believe in, K#####?" He asked excitedly._

 _The creature stared for a moment before giving a loud scoff, "_ _ **Like I would ever tell a brat like you!**_ _" It mocked._

 _The excitement from the boy's face drained, replaced with a somewhat annoyed one, "Eh? Why not? Don't be such a bore, K#####!" He whined._

 _XXXX_

Naruto's eyes slowly opened as the train came to a stop. He rubbed his drowsy blue eyes and looked around. It seemed like he had fallen asleep. The blonde frowned as he felt the memory came back to him. Was that a dream or a piece of memory? He couldn't tell much, but he could clearly recognise the child. It was him, probably around five or six. The teen didn't know who he was talking to, but for some reason, the dream made he felt…

Happy.

Naruto frowned, now he really wanted to know more about his past, who he was before the tower. He looked out the window, only to see a massive sign which was held up around the area.

'Welcome to Magnolia' it said.

Grabbing his belongings, Naruto took a step outside the train, it was midday, and hopefully the guild master was not busy. He really wanted to get sign-in quickly and go search for an apartment. Any place was fine, as long as he can live in it.

Naruto stepped outside the train station, his eyes widened in awe. The town was absolutely stunning, the blonde looked to the side to see a giant board that looked like some sort of map. He walked towards it and began to read.

"Wow," Amazement escaped his mouth.

Apparently, this town has a population of 60,000 inhabitants and was a merchant city that has been prosperous in Magic since the ancient era. It possesses a large built-up area, extending over a large, rectangular surface to the shores of Sciliora. Splitting the town vertically and horizontally is a series of large roads.

Naruto kept on reading until he noticed a similar name written on there.

"Gildarts Shift?" He muttered, reading the description and grimaced, "Is he that stupid? How dumb could he be to accidentally destroy private houses while walking through town?"

…

But then again, he was no different.

The blonde sighed and rubbed the back of his head. He had been wasting enough time. He really needed to get going already.

XXXX

Makarov hummed happily as he walked through the park near the guild. The council hasn't been calling him lately, and today was such a perfect day. Hopefully, the guild hasn't been destroyed to pieces when he gets there.

The midget stopped when he spotted a blonde teen stood in front of the guild's door, probably observing the building. Makarov could tell that the teen wanted to join just by the backpack that was slung over his shoulder. He smiled and slowly strolled towards the young lad.

"Hey there kid," He called, catching the boy's attention, "What do you need?" He asked.

Naruto raised one of his eyebrows and looked down at the midget below him, "Are you Makarov?" He asked.

The elderly man nodded, "The one and only," He said before noticing the whisker birthmarks on the teen's face, and the realisation suddenly hit him, "Could you be Naruto?" He asked.

The blonde perked up in surprise, "Yeah, How'd you know?" He questioned.

Makarov chuckled lightly, "Gildarts told me a lot about you, and I know that you've been the cause of all the mayhem around Fiore in the last two years," He said, "So? Why are you here, my boy? Want to join the guild?" He asked, somewhat jokingly.

Naruto scratched the back of his neck with a bored look on his face, "Yeah, I want to join," He spoke casually.

…

Until he realised what the old man just said.

"Oh, uh. Sorry, I didn't mean to…,"

The midget chuckled and waved him off, "There's nothing to be sorry about, kids your age loves to cause trouble after all," He said before taking a step inside the guild, he looked back and made a 'come here' motion with his hand, "What're you waiting around for? Come on in and let's get you sign in,"

A soft smile appeared on Naruto's face before he followed the older man into the guild.

Maybe coming here wasn't such a bad idea after all.

XXXX

Erza Scarlet looked around the guild hall in annoyance, today was the day she was going to teach Natsu how to read and write, but the said boy was nowhere to be found. She sighed and looked to the side to see a brown haired girl in sunflower dress, sat on one of the guild's tables, playing with her cards. On her right side was a dark haired boy who was, strangely, wearing only his boxer. On her left side was a little white-haired girl, wearing a one-piece dress, smiling brightly with her friends.

The redhead walked towards them with the best mature face a fourteen-year-old could make.

"Have you guys seen Natsu around?" She asked.

All three of them turned their attention away from the cards and looked up at the armored girl.

"He was here just about a minute ago," Said Gray, uncaringly while still in his boxer.

The brown haired girl, Cana, looked back down to her cards on the table, "He was saying something about scary lesson before storming off," She informed.

The little white haired, Lisanna giggled, "Poor Natsu,"

Erza nodded, "I see," She said before looking around once again, "Do you guys know where Master is?"

From the nearby table, Macao heard the conversation and decided to butt in, "The master said that he was going for a quick walk in the nearby park, he'll be back soon," He said before going back to whatever he was doing, talking to Wakaba that is.

The redhead nodded in appreciation before walking away. Maybe she should go search for Natsu outside? She was about to walk towards the exit until a midget man came through. Erza perked up in delight and strolled towards him.

"Master-," The redhead froze when she noticed the figure behind him. Her eyes widened and immediately recognised him. That face, that hair, and that casual clothing he always wore. It was no doubt, "N-Naruto?" She stuttered.

Naruto raised his eyebrow when he heard his name being called. He looked on, only to see a red haired girl in tough looking armor. He stared silently until recognition hit him like a bullet, this girl was Erza, he had completely forgotten about her. He raised his hand up in greeting.

"Hey, long time no see," He said in a somewhat uncaring manner. Observing her more clearly, he noticed something different about her, "You've changed quite a bit," He said.

The redhead's face reddened a little, was he going to compliment her?

"You have two eyes now," He stated and pointed at her right eye.

Erza's blushed face returned to normal and stared blankly at him. Two years have passed, and that was all he was going to say? What about how her hair had gotten longer, or how much stronger she looked. The redhead mentally sighed, this was Naruto, after all, a compliment from him was impossible.

"Yeah, thanks," Erza murmured, dejection was hidden in her voice, but Makarov could tell.

Said man looked between the two of them, so they knew each other? The midget cleared his throat, gaining the two's attention.

"Now then Naruto, let's get you sign in," He said as he walked towards his office.

Erza looked at the blonde in surprise, "You're joining?" She asked.

Naruto scratched the back of his head, "Yeah, I guess," He said, causing the redhead to smile a little, "You're pretty happy today, huh?"

Erza widened her eyes, she was smiling without even noticing! With a quick movement, she hid her eyes under her bangs as she tried to hide her embarrassed face.

"I-it's nothing!" She sputtered out in embarrassment, "Just go already!"

Naruto narrowed his eyes in confusion, what was wrong with her now? He shrugged, maybe it was just a girl's thing. Letting out a 'whatever' sound, he followed the guild master into the office.

XXXX

A white haired girl with a high ponytail in a skimpy goth clothing sat by the counter as she watched the newcomer followed the master inside his office. She turned her head towards a similar white haired boy who was sitting beside her, reading books.

"Who was that?" She asked.

The white haired boy looked up and stared confusedly at the older girl, "Who?"

The goth girl sighed, "Never mind," She muttered.

But from the backpack on the newcomer's back, her best guess was that he was going to be a new member, and maybe another addition to her harem.

XXXX

Gray, Cana, and Lisanna both stared curiously as the redhead made her way back towards them.

"Erza, who was that?" Asked Lisanna interestedly.

The two children sitting beside her both nodded their head in interests.

"He's an old friend of mine," Erza replied with a small, yet rare smile on her face.

Gray jumped up from his seat and grinned, "He must be pretty strong then!" He exclaimed.

However, the only reply he got from the redhead was silence, it wasn't her place to tell.

XXXX

Naruto watched as Makarov pressed the stamp onto the middle of his right forearm. A black Fairy Tail logo appeared. He smiled and lifted his arm up into the air to get a clear look at it.

"There, you are now an official member," Makarov said brightly.

Naruto nodded, "Thanks, old man,"

The midget laughed and waved him off, "Well, go out and meet the other members. I got paperwork to do," He said before sitting himself down in his chair.

The blonde nodded once again before walking out of the office. He raised an eyebrow when a white-haired girl in skimpy looking clothes came out of nowhere and blocked his path. The girl grinned wildly as she spotted a black Fairy Tail logo on his forearm. She pointed her thumb towards her developing chest in confident.

"My name's Mirajane Strauss, I'm the boss around here!" She exclaimed loudly, making the whole guild goes into silence. All the people stopped chatting and turned their attention towards the two, including the group of children on one of the tables. (Erza, Cana, Gray, and Lisanna,)

Naruto stared impassively at the smirking girl. For some odd reason, he found this girl to be quite annoying.

"Whatever," He said before walking past her with an uncaring expression on his face.

The sound of Gray's snickering rang through the silent guild hall. Mirajane's vein popped, she had been ignored! The white haired girl turned around and glared straight into the back of the blonde's head.

"Get back here!" She yelled in anger and embarrassment as dark energy appeared around both of her hands. Mirajane was about to strike but was stopped by a pair of arms held her back.

"N-Nee-chan!" Her brother, Elfman pleaded as he held her tightly. Honestly, his sister's temper could be a pain sometimes.

The white haired girl flicked her body around wildly, trying to get out off of her brother's stronghold, "Let go of me, Elfman!" She demanded, but her brother wouldn't budge.

Naruto ignored the girl's threat and carried on walking forward to where Erza's table was. All the children sitting around the table watched in curiosity as the teen walked towards them, they suspected that he was older than any of them just by looking at his height. Erza smiled as she noticed the black Fairy Tail logo on his forearm.

"Black suits you," She said, causing the blonde to smirk lightly.

"You think?"

Gray and the others observed the blonde more clearly, the teen wore a simple white shirt, black shorts, and a pair of flip flops. The half-naked boy stood up and walked towards the older boy.

"Yo! I'm Gray," He greeted, before pointing his thumb towards the two girls behind him, "And those two are Cana and Lisanna," He said, smiling.

Naruto looked at the two girls before looking strangely at the half-naked boy. Why was he naked?

"Well, it's nice knowing you all," He said before walking away towards the guild's exit.

Gray and the other stared dumbly at the blonde's back.

"He didn't even introduce himself," Cana said, slightly offended. The other two nodded in agreement with her.

Erza stared as the blonde walked outside the guild, "That's just how Naruto is, I guess," She sighed.

"Naruto? That's his name?" A cocky female voice was heard behind them, "He was named after a ramen topping? Ha! That's so lame!"

All heads turned to see a cocky smile on Mirajane's face.

"Don't be mean nee-chan," Lisanna pouted cutely at her sister.

Mirajane scoffed and crossed her arms, "Anyway, Erza!" She said, pointing her finger rudely at the redhead, "He's your friend right? Teach him some manner, why don't you,"

All the children backed away from the two as they saw a dark look on Erza's face.

" _Are they going to fight?_ " They all thought, not wanting to get involved.

All of their expectations were thrown out of the window when the redhead hmphed loudly and walked away towards the guild's exit. All the children's eyes widened in disbelief. Erza Scarlet, the overly serious girl ignored Mirajane's threat...

The oldest Strauss widened her eyes as she stood in shock, watching the redhead's retreating back.

She was completely ignored by her rival.

XXXX

Naruto strolled through the town with a carefree posture. He needed to find a cheap apartment since he doesn't have a lot of money, maybe around 10,000 or 20,000 jewels per month. He stopped walking when he noticed a certain redhead following him from behind.

"Naruto!"

The blonde turned around and stared at the redhead, "Yeah?" He asked casually.

"Why are you out here? Don't you want to meet the other guild members?" She questioned him.

Naruto gave her a thoughtful look and pointed his thumb over his shoulder, "I just want to find a place to stay first, maybe an apartment or something," He replied.

Erza nodded, "I see, you're looking for an apartment," She said before smiling at him, "Follow me, I know just the place,"

The blonde watched as the armored girl walked off. He scratched his head, was it just him or had Erza became more serious in the past two years.

…

The two continued walking, talking about random things for about ten minutes or so before stopping in front of a luxurious looking building. Naruto stared blankly before turning his head to the redhead beside him. He sweat dropped as he noticed the sparkles in her eyes.

"There's no way I can live here," Naruto stated, causing the younger girl to turn around and frowned.

"Why not? It's not like you're broke, right?" She asked.

The blonde scoffed, "Sorry to disappoint you, but I am," He said before walking away.

The redhead looked at his back in slight disappointment. Honestly, she just wanted an excuse to go inside and look at the rooms. This was, after all. The most expensive and well-known apartment in Magnolia.

"Wait," Erza said, stopping the blonde.

Naruto turned around and stared at the armored girl, "What is it?" He asked.

The redhead stared back, "How much do you have on you? I know a cheap place you could stay," She said.

The blonde raised an eyebrow in consideration, "I have around 40,000 on me," He said, causing Erza to nod at the information.

"Alright, I know just the place," She said, smiling before walking off into the other direction.

The blonde teen stared at her for a moment, he sighed tiredly before following along. Just where was she taking him to now?

…

The two came to a stop in front of an old, rundown looking flat just on the edge of Magnolia. Naruto stared blankly before tilting his head towards the redhead.

"What the hell is this?" He questioned irritably.

Erza smiled and nodded, "A single apartment, of course," She said, somewhat proud of herself.

Naruto looked back at the apartment and grimaced, the building looked like crap, some part was rusted and looked unstable. He mentally sighed, hopefully, the rooms were decent.

"Whatever, let's go," He said as he adjusted his backpack before walking towards the entrance.

They talked to the landlady and were quite surprised, the rent was about 20,000 jewels per month, and the rooms were pretty decent. It has a shower, kitchen, and two bedrooms. Feeling pleased with the place, Naruto decided to rent one. The blonde happily dropped his belongings onto the wooden floor of his new room, he looked around and smiled. The place doesn't have anything yet, only a small refrigerator and a cheaply made bed. Naruto didn't know why, but having a home felt kind of refreshing.

"Well then, I will be going now. See you at the guild" Erza said before walking out.

The blonde turned around and waved at her, "Yeah later," He said, "Thanks for the help, though, I appreciated,"

The redhead smiled and nodded before closing the door behind her as she walked out. She needed to continue searching for a certain pink haired Dragon Slayer. Naruto watched as the door closed behind her before laying down on his back, against the dusty floor. God, he really needed to clean this place up. He sighed and stared up at the ceiling, what should he do today? Honestly, there's nothing much to do, maybe he could go explore the town for a bit, and start working tomorrow?

The blonde shook his head. No way, too much effort, he had done so much today, and he could do that anytime. Naruto sighed as he felt sleep slowly taking over him.

A quick nap sounded like a good idea.

XXXX

The sound of high pitch cursing made Naruto's eyes shot open. He rubbed his ears in annoyance as the noises gotten even louder. Naruto sighed loudly before looking out the window to see an orange sunset… what a magnificent view, he really wanted to sit on the balcony and chill out, but the cursing totally killed it.

The blonde grumbled quietly as he got up and slid opened the door sized window. Naruto walked onto the balcony and looked down, trying to find what causing the irritating sound. He widened his eyes dumbly as he stared at the individuals below him. A pink haired boy who looked to be around the age of twelve or thirteen, and beside him was a flying… cat. The two were walking around in circles just outside of his apartment, muttering something about 'stupid Erza' and 'dumb lessons'.

"Hey!"

Natsu and Happy looked up from their thoughts and towards the sound of the newcomer, they shrieked back in fear as they saw the blonde's face. A twisted, angry snarl which gave off a furious animal vibe. The blonde's eyes narrowed as he glared harshly at them.

"Shut up," He growled.

Tears started to swell up in Natsu and Happy's eyes as they both stared at the angered blonde. They thought Erza was scary, but this was much scarier, it felt as if the blonde was going to rip their heads off. The two couldn't hold it in anymore, and let out a childish cry.

"Weaaaaahh!" Both cried, tears and snots streaming down their faces.

Naruto started to panic as he heard the sound of whispering from the nearby people who were passing by.

"Did he just made that child cry?" An old lady muttered.

"Oh dear, poor boy," A single mother murmured.

"What a bad brother," Some teenage girls around his age whispered to one another.

"That blondie is terrible," An old fart spoke aloud.

The blonde began to panic even more when the pink haired boy started to cry louder, and people started to gather.

"O-oi! Don't cry!" He shouted, hoping to calm the younger boy down.

The sound of crying didn't stop, and Naruto had no choice. He jumped down the two story apartment and dashed towards the two. The teen quickly grabbed the two by the head and dashed back straight inside his apartment, closing the doors and windows. He threw the two across the room and sighed.

Natsu and Happy ran towards each other and hugged tightly as if it was the end of the world.

"H-Happy!"

"Natsu!"

A vein popped on Naruto's forehead as the annoying sound rang through his ears. He turned and looked at the two with shadow over his eyes.

"Oi you two," He said darkly causing the boy and the cat to flinch and crawled backward until their backs were pressed against the wall. Seeing this action, Naruto could not help but mutter.

"What the hell?" He watched the two cowered in fear. Were they scared of him?

"S-Stay way demon!" Natsu's squeaky voice echoed through the empty apartment.

Naruto's could only sweat dropped as he stared at the two. This was ridiculous!

Oi," He called, trying to get them out of their whimpering.

All efforts were gone to waste when the two did not stop and Naruto's patience was running out.

"Shut up!" The blonde screeched loudly, so loud that all the people of Magnolia stopped for a moment.

Natsu and Happy quickly shut their mouth and sat up straight, not wanting to taste the demon's wrath. The pink haired boy slowly peeked up and his eyes widened as he spotted a Fairy Tail logo on the blonde's forearm.

"Hey, you're a Fairy Tail mage!" He jumped up and pointed at the older teen.

Naruto stared dumbly at the pink haired boy, that change of mood was way too quick. What a weirdo.

"Ah, this?" The blonde said as he held up his arm, looking at the black Fairy Tail mark, "I just joined not too long ago,"

Natsu and Happy both cheered in delight, "Wuuah! Let's fight!" Exclaimed the pink haired boy, causing the whiskered teen to look at him strangely.

"What? No," Naruto rejected without any hesitation.

Natsu's happy facial drained away and was replaced with a dejected one, "Eh? Why not?!" He fumed.

The blonde sighed in annoyance. What was up with this brat, asking for a fight out of the blue. He stared straight into Natsu's brown eyes. Maybe he should try and change the subject?

"Hey, earlier you were muttering something about Erza. What were you talking about?" He asked,

The young Dragon Slayer frowned as he remembered what happened earlier, "Erza, Damn her! Damn her and her stupid lesson!" He yelled out in irritation.

Naruto raised his eyebrow, "What lesson _?_ " He thought aloud.

"She always forces me to write those letters thing! I told her so many times that I can read, and besides. I'm a mage! Mages don't need to learn, it's all about fighting!" Natsu whined childishly and Happy nodded in agreement.

Naruto watched the younger boy threw a tantrum before sitting himself down cross-legged. This brat was really stupid… the teen moved his hand towards Natsu's head and flicked it, causing the boy to flinch in pain.

"Ow! What was that for!" Growled the pink haired boy as he rubbed his forehead painfully.

"What's your name?" Naruto asked.

Natsu widened his eyes, he completely forgot!

"I'm Natsu!" He said cheerfully before pointing his finger to the cat beside him, "And that's Happy!"

"Aye!"

The blonde nodded, remembering the names, "Mine's Naruto," He introduced.

A brief silence appeared between the two.

Reaching into his pockets, Naruto pulled out a small leaflet with children pictures on it.

"Natsu," Naruto called, catching the younger boy's attention. Seeing that Natsu was listening, he carried on, "Read this," He said, pointing his finger to the first sentence on the leaflet.

The pink haired boy tilted his head but did as he was asked.

"Meg…nelio's… top ten restrauants?"

Shaking his head lightly, Naruto corrected.

"Magnolia's top ten restaurants,"

Natsu frowned, "Hey! I know that!"

"Aye!"

The teen couldn't help but sigh at the boy. This brat has a long way to go.

"No, you see. This is where you said it wrong…,"

…

And so began Natsu's secret training.

XXXX

(The next day)

Naruto stared at the quest board in front of him. There were many D class jobs he could do around town; the pay wasn't much, but a number of jobs he could take at once was good. He could finish these simple jobs in just ten minutes. They were simply just odd jobs. The blonde snatched as many D classes as he possibly could, before checking it with the master.

"Hmm, why are you doing so many D classes?" Makarov asked curiously, "Kids your age normally wants to do something much more exciting,"

Naruto scoffed, "I do them because they're easy. Besides, I'm fifteen. I'm not a kid anymore,"

The midget chuckled, "Whatever you say, to me, you're still a kid," He said jokingly.

"You're as bad as Giladrts," The blonde shot back before strolling away, not noticing the midget laughing loudly.

"N-Naruto," The sound of a wimping Natsu rang through the blonde's ears, causing him to turn around.

Naruto grimaced slightly as he saw the condition Natsu was in, bandage warped around his head, bruises on his arms, and he even got a black eye.

"What the hell happened to you?" He asked.

The pink haired boy flopped down onto the nearby table, completely exhausted.

"Your technique didn't help at all," He whined, causing Naruto's vein to pop.

"I wasn't being serious, you dimwit," He stated plainly.

After teaching Natsu how to read, the boy had started asking him about fighting techniques, and being the lazy ass he was. He gave the young Dragon Slayer the most half arsed answer of all time.

" _Throw sand for distraction,"_

…

Realising something. Naruto looked at the younger boy, "Did Erza do that to you?" He asked.

"Aye!" Happy chirped, Natsu nodded.

The blonde gave out a long sighed, does that girl not know how to hold back or something?

"Well, whatever," He said before walking away, "Be sure to take it easy," He said over his shoulder.

Naruto was about to leave the guild before noticing a certain white haired girl blocking his path. He clicked his tongue quietly as he stared at the goth girl, Mirajane.

"What do you want now?" He asked, irritated.

The girl flicked her hair back and did a pose, "It seems like you're going on a mission all by yourself, do you need a hand?" She asked in a superior tone, causing the blonde to stare impassively at her.

"What? No, go freeload somebody else," He said simply before walking pass her.

Mirajane could only stare in shock, this person. Not only did he ignored her once, but twice! Nobody had ignored her before. She gritted her teeth in anger, this guy seriously pisses her off. The white haired girl froze as she heard the sound of snickering behind her. She robotically turned around, only to see a certain redhead covering her mouth, trying to hold in her laughter.

"What's so funny, flat chest girl!" She hissed out in embarrassment.

Erza stopped her snickering and narrowed her eyes, "What did you call me? Ape girl!" She snarled.

Mirajane clenched her fists, "You're asking for a fight?!"

"Bring it!" Erza shouted as she coated her fist in **Haki** before dashing at her rival.

The said rival did the same with her right arm, turning it into one of a Demon's with her **Take Over** magic. Both crashed against each other and shockwaves like energies were sent flying through the guild hall. The nearby guild mates hurriedly backed away, not wanting to get involved between the two female's fight, especially the kids.

Makarov sighed, he needed to stop them before they tear the whole guild down.

XXXX

Mirajane grumbled in annoyance as she walked through Magnolia's public park. She rubbed her stomach and flinched in pain. Erza's armored coated fist hurts like hell. If the master didn't interfere she would probably have lost and made a fool out of herself. The goth girl gritted her teeth and clenched her fist tightly. Naruto, that bastard! Never in her life at Fairy Tail had she been treated like that, completely ignored and insulted. That stupid blondie walked around the guild like he owned the place. Seriously, it pisses her off. A long, tiring sigh escaped the white haired girl's mouth as she thought about the blonde, if she sees him again, she would teach him a lesson not to mess with her.

Lost in her own thoughts, Mirajane sat herself down on one of the public benches. She crossed her legs, leaned back and looked up at the blue sky.

"What a pain," She muttered to herself, unaware of the certain blonde sitting beside her.

"Tell me about it,"

...

The white haired girl widened her eyes in surprise. That voice! She looked to her side before jumping out of the bench and pointed her finger at the newcomer.

"You!" She hissed out at the casual blonde.

"Me," Naruto repeated after her.

Honestly, he just wanted to relax and enjoy the weather after finishing doing all the D class missions and earned himself some pretty decent money. Everything was good and the day was completed for him, but it didn't last long when a certain Strauss showed up and unconsciously sat next to him.

Mirajane scowled as she stared at the blonde's carefree posture, "Dammit, he really pisses me off," She murmured to herself, but the blonde heard clearly.

He stared back at her with a half arsed expression. Seriously, what was her problem?

"If you dislike me that much then why are you talking to me?" He asked.

Mirajane growled before ruffling her hair wildly, "Uurrgh! You piss me off!" She exclaimed, pointing her finger at the blonde, "Everything about you just makes me angry!"

Naruto just stared at her. He sighed before getting up, "Whatever, you're just like a little kid," He said as he began to walk away, not wanting to hear any more of the younger girl's complaints.

The white haired girl stared speechlessly before clenching her fist in anger and embarrassment. He was going to blow her off once again.

"Stop right there!" She yelled, making the blonde stop.

He looked over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow, "What now?" He asked in somewhat annoyance.

Mirajane smirked, "Fight me," She challenged.

Naruto looked at her blankly before he scoffed loudly and walked away. Mirajane gaped like a fish. She stared at the retreating blonde's back. Her challenge was completely ignored, and what was up with that scoff. Was he mocking her? She gritted her teeth as anger builds up inside her.

" **Take Over: Satan Soul!** " She roared as dark Magic surrounded her body before exploding outwards.

Naruto widened his eyes as he felt the burst of Magic energy behind him. He turned around, only to meet with a palm crashing against his face. The white haired girl tightened her grip onto the blonde's face, making the claws dig into his skin. Naruto winced in pain as he unconsciously moved both of his hands and grabbed onto the girl's demonic arm, trying his best to pull it off.

Mirajane spread her wings before flying straight into the air, causing Naruto to widened his eyes in surprise as he felt the ground left his feet. She sped up and rocketed towards the edge of the town where there was a wide, opened area. She tossed the blonde up high into the air with all her might before getting into a kicking stance. As Naruto came flying down, Mirajane did a powerful roundhouse kick in mid-air.

Feeling the impact hit his stomach. Naruto coughed out air as he was sent flying towards the ground. The earth shattered into pieces as he crashed. Dust enveloped the blonde while he laid in the middle of the crater. He slowly sat up and rubbed his blood stained face, the wounds were already healed. Naruto stood up and watched as the dust disappeared. He looked towards the floating girl and raised his eyebrow in surprise.

Mirajane had completely changed her image, her body was now covered in flat, square shaped scales like parts. Her eyes, eyelashes, ears, and hair all changed drastically, and dark thin markings appear all over her body. Her forearms and hands became covered in scales, and each sprout a fin-like protrusion on its outer side. She also grew a large, stocky tail, seemingly made out of metal plates or scales.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and snarled at her, "What the hell was that for?" He asked.

The white haired girl glided down and landed softly onto the ground before looking at the blonde, "That was for mocking me," She stated, "What? Did it hurt?" She mocked.

The whiskered teen did not say anything and just stared calculatingly at her. From what he could tell, her strength was far beyond one of a normal fourteen-year-old. It was probably something to do with this **Take Over** Magic of hers.

"Whatever," He said, picking his ear in a bored manner, "Let's get this over with already, I want to go and take a shower,"

Mirajane narrowed her eyes as she stared at him with an irritated expression. Even though he was clearly at _disadvantage_ , he was still able to act like that. It annoyed her to no end. Without a warning, the white haired mage sprang into action. She rocketed forward, clenching her fist and covering it with dark Magic before striking Naruto right in the middle of his stomach.

The blonde coughed as more air were knocked out of his lungs. The monstrous force of the punch sent him flying backward, making him crash against the rock behind him, shattering it in the process. Mirajane watched the blonde in slight worry. Sure, she didn't like him, but she didn't want to kill him. Her worry was thrown out of the window as she spotted the blonde emerged from the pebbles, completely unarmed. She narrowed her eyes in slight confusion, that hit she landed on him should surely leave a mark.

She smirked at him smugly, "Hmm, you still can keep going?" She asked in a superior tone, causing the blonde to stare blankly at her.

"Yeah, I guess," He said plainly.

Mirajane narrowed her eyes. The blonde wasn't even taking this seriously, it seemed like she needed to step it up a notch. The white haired girl crouched down low, ready to dash towards her opponent. Naruto watched as the demonic girl rocketed towards him. He stood, unmoving as Mirajane got him into a combo. Left hook, right hook, uppercut, body shot, and a roundhouse kick to the left side of the head. Blood spilled across the grassy ground as he was sent staggering back a step. Naruto wiped the blood from his mouth as his injuries started to heal quickly.

He smirked at the panting Mirajane before him, "What? Tired already?" He mocked.

The demonic girl glared before jumping back, getting some space between the two.

"Why aren't you attacking?" She hissed out through her panting as she stared at him, his face was covered in blood, and his white shirt was painted red. His face was a complete mess, and yet he stood tall like it was nothing. What was up with this guy?!

Naruto looked at her before wiping his blood stain face with his forearm. He spat out the bloody taste in his mouth, "I couldn't be arsed," He stated plainly.

The demonic girl stared wide eyes at the bloody blonde, her face twisted in anger as dark waves of Magic erupted from her body, and gusts of wind blew against Naruto's face, drying the blood on his whiskered face.

Mirajane was pissed beyond word, this bastard was mocking her! She leaped forward with all her might, shattering the ground behind her. She swung her fist down at the blonde, only for him to jumped to the side, avoiding the attack completely. The earth shattered into bits and a blast of shockwave erupted from the impact when Mirajane's fist came into contact with the earth's crust, blowing Naruto and some nearby pebbles away a few feet.

The blonde quickly regained his balance before looking towards the demonic girl, he raised his eyebrow in curiosity as he saw her taking a stance.

"I will make you regret going easy on me!" She yelled as a large, black globe gathered between her hands.

She gritted her teeth as she struggled to keep the black globe together, she hasn't tried this before. Putting all of her Magic into a single attack. She was probably going to be drained after using this, but it was going to be worth it. The black globe got bigger and bigger by seconds until it was half the size of her body. The globe shook violently in her hands, waiting to be unleashed.

Naruto stared worriedly as he saw the look on Mirajane's face, she was sweating heavily and was struggling to keep up the attack.

"Oi~ don't push yourself too hard," The blonde called out with worry in his voice, but to Mirajane's ears, it sounded sarcastic.

"Shut up!" She yelled out before lunging the massive black globe forward, " **Soul Extinctor!** " She roared as a massive black-purple beam fired from her hand, towards the blonde.

Naruto stared numbly as the massive black beam slowly making its way towards him. He could feel the heat from here. The whiskered teen smirked lightly before pulling back his fist and struck forward, leaving a massive crack in the air. The beam collided with the crack and exploded. Massive shockwaves were sent everywhere, ripping the crust of the earth, sending trees flying as well as catching the attention of the civilian of Magnolia.

Mirajane blocked the strong gust of wind with her forearms as her **Take Over** Magic disappeared. She could feel herself losing consciousness at any moment, but she tried to stay awake to see the result.

As the dust stared too clear. Mirajane widened her eyes in disbelief. Stood at the opposite side was a blood stained Naruto with his fist extended forward. Behind him were the trees, and grassy field. It seemed as if the blonde had blocked her strongest attack with ease. The white haired girl gritted her teeth and dug her finger into the dirt before drifting into unconsciousness.

"D-Dammit," She murmured.

Naruto grimaced in disgust as he moved around, the blood stains made his body all stick, he really wanted to get a shower as soon as possible. The blonde looked towards Mirajane's side and whistled in surprise. The area on her side was completely obliterated, the trees and the ground were burnt to crisp. He had to admit, it was a very powerful attack.

Naruto strolled towards the unconscious girl and sighed.

"You're such a pain you know that?" He said to no one in particular before picking the girl up and slung her over his shoulder.

He needed to get out of here before anyone finds out, and maybe take her back to the guild.

Naruto sighed once again as he slowly made his way back towards town with the unconscious girl over his shoulder. Today was such a tiring day.


	5. Chapter 5: An eye opener

(Three months later after Naruto joined Fairy Tail)

The smell of burnt toast stank throughout the apartment. Naruto coughed loudly at the nasty smell before snatching the bread out of the toaster. He clicked his tongue in annoyance and threw them into the food bin.

"What a waste," He muttered to himself.

Grabbing a plate full of eggs and bacon, he walked towards the dining table which was connected to the living room. Sitting himself down, the blonde grabbed his knife and fork before starting to dig into his meal. Relaxing as he chewed. Naruto couldn't help but be impressed by how good the breakfast tasted. The teen gulped down the food in his mouth and smiled slightly. It has been three months since he joined the guild.

He had to admit, life here was good. It felt like home. Hell, he loved it so much he even brought the apartment, he also brought other things such as a table, sofa, a proper bed, a book shelf (Yes, he read books), bigger refrigerator, and a lot of other stuff that he couldn't count.

The blonde finished the last piece of food on his plate before taking it over to the sink. He washed and placed the wet plate onto the plate dryer before walking into the bathroom to clean his teeth.

After cleaning himself, he went towards the closet to pick out his attire. A simple, sky blue shirt, grey shorts, and a pair of flip flops. Like usual, the casual clothes. He loved them, they were very comfortable to wear.

Without wasting anymore time. Naruto grabbed his keys and walked out of his apartment, locking the door before he leaves. Feeling the sun's ray touched his eyes, the blonde turned and looked up at the morning sun.

" _Now then, what to do today…_ ," He mumbled to himself before walking down the rusty stairs.

Maybe he could do more D rank missions? He could get them finish and be done with it for the day. But what then?

…

Mah, He'll think about it later.

XXXX

Naruto arrived at the guild, he causally opened the door. Only to see his guild mates chatting happily to one another, and some of them were even fighting. Ignoring the rowdy lots, the teen walked inside and smiled as the smell of alcohol flew past his nose. Seriously, these guys. They were already drinking so early in the morning. He shook his head and strolled towards the quest board.

Naruto raised his eyebrow in confusion as he stared deeply into the wooden board. There were no D-rank missions. None could be found.

"What the…" He muttered to himself.

Wakaba, who was sitting on the nearby table heard the blonde's muttering, he got up and walked towards the board with his hands in his pockets.

"What? Didn't you know?" He questioned, causing Naruto to look at him in confusion.

"Didn't know what?" He asked.

The older man smirked lightly before popping a cigarette into his mouth, he lit it up, inhaled, and blew it out, up into the air, "There's not going to be anymore D ranks for the next two days," He stated, causing the teen to frowned.

"Why not?" Naruto asked.

Wakaba gave a half-hearted laugh, "Heh, it's your own fault, you did way too many D rank missions in the past months, so now they're suspending it. Why don't you try out some of the C rank missions? It's pretty easy," He advised before walking away, back to where his table was.

The blonde gave a thoughtful expression before looking back at the board and skimmed through the quests.

 ** _Deliver items – Location: Onibus._**

 ** _Moving items – Location: Hargeon._**

 ** _Help finding lost cat – Location: Hargeon._**

Naruto felt one of his eyes twitched. These were basically D class missions, but outside of Magnolia, he sighed before walking away, there was no way he was going to waste time on any of these silly stuff. The blonde was about to open the door, but stopped when his name was yelled out.

"Naruto!" The sound of a white haired girl rang loudly throughout the guild, but everyone seemed to be treating it like it was very common.

The blonde turned around, only to see a wild smirk across the face of Mirajane. He clicked his tongue and stared blankly at her.

"Mira… you're earlier than usual today," He said, causing her siblings behind her to give him an apologising look.

The goth girl closed her eyes and crossed her arms in confident, "Of course! I woke up early, just so that we could have a match!" She exclaimed loudly.

Both Lisanna and Elfman sweat dropped as they watched their eldest sister rant on about how she was going to defeat him while Naruto just walked away without a care in the world.

"Umm, nee-chan. Naruto is already gone," Lisanna said, making Mirajane opened her eyes and looked around.

An embarrassment look appeared on his face as she gritted her teeth. She slammed her fist against the nearby table.

"Damn it! He got away again," She muttered before trying to calm herself.

After she had lost consciousness on the day they fought. She was told that Naruto had taken her back to the guild's infirmary, she was both surprised and embarrassed when she was told that the blonde told them she accidently fell down the stairs and knocked herself out. Mirajane had no choice but to nod in agreement.

There was no way she would tell any of them that she had gotten her ass kicked by a person who didn't even lifted a finger at her. However, she was also thankful to the blonde for not telling anyone about the embarrassing event, it would have been a huge blow to her pride if he did. Soon after she was discharged. She greeted by the said blonde. At first she thought he was going to boast and rubbed his victory in her face, but was surprised when he asked if she was alright.

After that, Mirajane saw him in a completely different light and began to feel some sort of respect towards him, not that she would tell anyone. Naruto wasn't an arrogant snob, but acted like one without meaning to, he was actually kind but doesn't really show it. The blonde liked to keep a low-profile, not getting involved in any of the guild's fights and he always does what he wants.

All in all, he was a pretty decent guy.

But she still didn't like him.

The way he ignored her was terrible.

Mirajane gritted her teeth in annoyance, "I'll get him next time," She muttered to herself.

XXXX

Naruto casually strolled through the main street of Magnolia, there weren't many people around since it was in the early morning. The blonde sighed as he looked aimlessly at the clear sky. There wasn't going to be any work for the next two days. What should he do now? Maybe he could take a break? The blonde was about to go back to his apartment until he spotted a flash of red from the corner of his eyes.

He turned around, raising his eyebrows in an unsuspected manner when he spotted a certain redhead who was sitting by the window of a café, happily eating a piece of strawberry cake. Naruto stared at her for a moment before strolling inside.

"Wow, cakes for breakfast? How unhealthy," He commented, causing the redhead to widen her eyes in surprise.

"N-Naruto!" She sputtered out as she turned around to face the blonde, an embarrassed expression appeared on her face, "Don't judge me," She narrowed her eyes.

The whiskered teen gave her a 'whatever' look and sat himself down next to her, "So? What're you planning on doing today?" He asked, not really interested.

Erza smiled before she summoned a poster from her storage space, showing it to the older teen, "I'm going on a B rank mission," She stated, "It's a simple bodyguard work, the location is at Oshibana Town. More details will be explain by the client," She said firmly.

"I see...," Naruto hummed.

He half-heartedly skimmed through the poster. His eyes widened in slight surprise as he noticed the payment.

60,000 jewels.

…

"Hey Erza, can I come along?" Asked the teen out of the blue.

The redhead raised her eyebrows as she stared at him, that change of mood was kind of strange. She nodded her head and smiled, "Of course, we will be leaving about an hour from now. I suggest that you should go and get ready," She informed.

The blonde nodded numbly. For some odd reason, this conversation felt like a business talk more than a quick chat.

"Right… I will see you at the train station in about an hour then," He said before walking off.

Erza stared at the blonde's retreating back before looking down towards her unfinished cake. She smiled and popped a small piece into her mouth. This was going their first time going on a mission together, and for some odd reason. She could feel nostalgia blooming inside her.

XXXX

Naruto stood on platform 8, tapping his foot impatiently with a backpack slung lazily over his shoulder. It has been over nearly twenty minutes since he had arrived. The train was about to leave and there was no Erza in sight.

"Where the hell is she?" Naruto muttered in annoyance.

The blonde turned around when he heard the sound of nearby people gasping behind him. His eyes widened in disbelief at the image in front of him. Stood there was Erza Scarlet with a massive luggage behind her back. She noticed him staring and smiled.

"Naruto-," She was quickly cut off by the said teen.

"Erza what the hell is that?" The blonde deadpanned as he pointed his finger at the object her, "Why do you have such a huge luggage with you?"

The redhead frowned at the question, "It's good to always be prepared," She stated.

Naruto was about to retort but stopped when the announcement rang throughout the train station.

'Train on platform 8 will be leaving in five minutes'

Groaning in annoyance. The whiskered teen quickly snatched the redhead's hand and yanked her towards the train.

"W-Wait Naruto!" Erza stuttered in surprise at the sudden action.

"What?" He asked impatiently.

The armored girl frowned. She pointed towards her belongings, "What about my luggage?" She asked, causing the blonde to scowl.

"Who cares about that! It's not even going to fit on the train anyway!" He hissed, clenching tightly onto her hand before dragging her inside the transport.

Erza scowled back, "So we're just going to leave it there? There might be something important in there!" She shot back, making the older teen stop and turned his head towards her.

"What do you mean 'Might'? Did you even check what you put in there?" He deadpanned.

Erza widened her eyes. Her face reddened heavily, she messed up, "O-Of course I do!"

The two continued to argue about the luggage as they made their way through the train's corridor, annoying the other passengers along the way.

…

Looking out the window. Naruto couldn't help but wonder what their client was going to be like…

XXXX

Most people don't know it, but Reyon Warlock, a fifteen-year-old teen was a very lonely child. Unlike most children his age, he spent most of his life doing odd jobs, and since his family was poor, he did not go to school for proper education.

His father, who had left him and his pregnant mother with a massive debt, never came back. The man he respected the most. The person who he always wanted to be. His role model. Had abandoned him.

Feeling lost and depressed, he shut himself away from the world. And as time flew by, his eight months' pregnant mother fell ill.

Clenching his fists and gritted his teeth. The brown haired teen rushed through the busy hospital hall. Apparently, the doctors said that they did not have the medicine to heal his mother's illness. The illness that his mother had, was an illness that only a certain magical herb can heal. Said herbs were rumoured to be one of the rarest herbs in Fiore.

Doing his research as best as he could. The teen found out that the location was actually near where he lived, which was around Oshibana Town. He tried his luck to ask about the location to see if the rumours were true. And to his surprise. A lot of the answers were yes.

Though, the said location was also rumoured to be where dead bodies were found. It was near the mountains, around an abandoned village. A lot of people had advised him not to go there. They said that the place was cursed.

Now Reyon was not a very brave child, but he would not go down without a fight. He needed to take risks, even if he gets himself killed in the process to save his mother. The only person who cared deeply about him, and without her. He would be a broken shell.

Gathering his resolves. The brown haired teen decided to get help. Even though he did not have the money, he did not care. He was going to hire mages, but not just any mages.

Fairy Tail mages.

He had heard many rumours about them. Apparently, they were a kind and loving bunch.

And so. He wrote and posted a B rank mission filled with lies.

Sighing slightly. Reyon stopped as he arrived in front of a patient room. He was about to slide the door open but froze when said door slammed opened and three dangerous looking men stepped outside. Taking a step back, he gulped down his saliva in fright.

The man in the middle seemed to be the leader. He had long raven black hair which was tied up into a high pony tail. The clothing that he wore was an average business suit, and the way he carried himself was arrogant. Reyon didn't know why, but something told him that not making eyes contact was the best choice.

Peeking towards raven haired man's left. The green eyed teen's body stiffened slightly as he spotted a very fat man, who was swaggering out of the room not so far from his leader. The man was bald, his belly looked so big as if it was going to burst at any moment. The clothing that he wore was the same business suit as his leader.

"Excuse me,"

A low and firm voice spoke up, catching Reyon out of his thoughts. Looking forward hastily. He was met with a tall, light yellow haired man wearing sunglasses. Said man was dressed in a tight combat wear with armor plates around his shins. He stood unmoving next to the raven haired leader. Though, unlike the other two. He looked like a mage.

Sweat began to bead down his forehead as the trio's eyes bored down at his small form. This was until he realised that he was blocking their path. Gasping loudly, the teen quickly said his sorry and moved to the side.

Scoffing irritably. The leader swaggered past him, muttering something about stupid kids and their senselessness. Following close behind was the bald fat man, who also did the same as his leader.

"Sorry about that," Said the sunglasses mage, bowing slightly before catching up with his peers.

Reyon could not help but nod dumbly. These guys meant business. Though, he wondered what they were doing in his mother's patient room. Sighing in relief when the trio was out of his sight. The brown haired teen went on with his own business.

He can think about that later.

Gently sliding the door open. Reyon was met with a heavily pregnant woman who was sitting on the bed. This was his mother, Roseile Warlock. Her long silk black hair glittered underneath the morning sun's ray, making her shine somewhat like an angle. Reyon had to admit.

His mother was a very beautiful woman.

He frowned slightly when he noticed the troubled look on her face.

"Mom?" He called.

Looking towards the voice. Roseile smiled kindly as she noticed her son standing by the doors.

"Ah, Reyon. Good morning, you're earlier than usual today," Her sweet voice rang through his ears.

His mother has a charming smile, but the teen could tell that she was forcing it.

"Who were those people that visited you?" He questioned, making the pregnant woman twitched lightly.

Waving her hand as she tried to brush her son off. Roseile began, "They're just people who I used to work with long ago, they came for a visit,"

Reyon frowned even more. His mother was lying, but why? His mother always hid this kind of things away from him, he knew that it was for his own protection, but he was a fully grown boy now. He should get to know.

Not pursuing the information any further. Reyon brought up a new subject.

"Mom guess what!" He smiled brightly as he walked over and sat on the chair.

Seeing his mother tilted her head slightly with a raised eyebrow, the brunette continued.

"I got a surprise for you!" Exclaimed the now excited teen.

The mother couldn't help but chuckle, her son was such a bright child. She wished he could always stay like this forever.

"Oh? What could it be?" She asked in a singing tone.

Reyon pouted, "It's a surprise! You're not supposed to know!" Then his face scrunched up in a thoughtful manner, "Since the hospital doesn't have the medicine, I've decided to go for a search!"

Roseile sweat dropped. There he goes again, spilling out his secrets. She really needed to get that fix.

"So it's like an adventure?"

The green eyed teen nodded rapidly, "Yeah, something like that,"

His mother smiled, "So? When are you leaving for this trip of yours?" She asked, making Reyon glance at the clock on the wall.

"Right about…,"

Realising that it was nearly 12 O'clock. A panic looked flashed onto his face.

"Ah! Crap. I'm late!"

The pregnant woman held back a laugh as she watched her son go into panic mode. Her attention was brought back when the said son yelled over his shoulder as he dashed out of the patient room.

"Mom, I need to go, I will see you later in the afternoon, kay?!"

Roseile growled.

"Hey! No running in the hospital!"

…

A soft sigh escaped her mouth before a fond smile formed. Seriously, this boy…

Deep into her thoughts, the pregnant mother did not notice a recorder that was being held up in the corner of the room.

XXXX

"A maid café, but why a maid café of all places?"

Naruto couldn't help but mutter aloud as he stared at the café before him. Stood beside him with air of confident was Erza, she turned towards his direction and began.

"I suppose that this place is quite famous around these areas, finding it was quite easy, wasn't it?"

Hearing this, the blonde stared ahead with a bored look.

The two had arrived at Osibana Town for quite a while now. The town was quite small but friendly. It also seemed that the main point of the place was the railway station, which constituted its central point.

"Now what?" Naruto asked as he stood with a lazy body posture.

"We wait," Said the redhead beside him.

The two stood in silence for minutes, watching aimlessly as the maid served the customers. Since it was morning, there weren't many people inside.

"Um, excuse me?"

A timid voice spoke up, making the dual turned around. They both raised their eyebrows as a fifteen year old teen approached them. Said teen had chocolate brown hair and grassy green eyes. He wore a simple grey polo shirt, brown cargo shorts, and black pair of cheap looking travelling boots. The teen looked to be a traveller by the way he had his backpack resting lazily over his shoulders.

An average looking guy, was Naruto's first impression.

Erza took a stepped forward, "Yes?" She asked politely.

Scratching his cheek in an uncertain manner, the brown haired teen gave a friendly smile.

"Could you two perhaps be the mages I hired?"

Suddenly, realisation slapped the redhead across the face.

"I see, you must be our client," She extended her right hand outward, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Reyon-san,"

The teen, Reyon. Frowned mentally. He was expecting a fully grown and experienced mages to be taking the job, but oh well. He shouldn't be picky. In fact, he should be grateful that someone even bother to take the job.

Reaching out his hand and shook the girl's, Reyon smiled kindly, "Yes, nice to meet you, but please don't use honorifics, you guys are probably about the same age as me,"

Erza nodded, "Very well. My name is Erza Scarlet," She pointed towards her blonde companion, "And this is Naruto, my assistance,"

Naruto gave her a deadpan look at the assistance part. A soft sigh escaped his mouth before he decided to speak up.

"Let's go inside the café. I'm getting tired of standing around,"

Reyon silently watched as the blonde began to make his way inside until a voice beside him caught his attention.

"Shall we?" Asked the redhead who soon began to follow behind closely.

A drop of sweat beads down his forehead.

Who was the assistance here? He wondered.

XXXX

"What would you like to order, dear customers?"

The trio who were seated neatly on one of the tables looked up to see one of the maids standing before them.

Peeking towards the menu. Naruto began.

"I'll have Udon noodles,"

"Strawberry cake please,"

"J-Just water is fine,"

The whiskered blonde couldn't help but gaze at the redhead beside him.

"Another cake, seriously?" He commented.

Erza heard but chose to ignore. She looked on at their client's eyes.

"So Reyon-san, could you please give us a brief detail about this bodyguard work?" She asked, getting straight into business.

Both Naruto and Erza raised their eyebrows as they noticed the brunette clenching his fists tightly. Erza was about to ask what was wrong, but stopped when Reyon shot up and bowed in an apologising manner.

"I'm really sorry, I lied!" Reyon shouted, catching the attention of the other customers who were seated at the nearby tables as well as making the two Fairy Tail members looked at him in confusion.

"Please calm down and explain to us in more detail," Said the redhead as she tried to calm down their client.

Naruto just stared at him with his untamed eyes.

"You're disturbing everyone and embarrassing yourself," He commented.

Reyon widened his eyes before lifting his head up and looked around. He blushed in embarrassment and hastily sat himself down.

"R-Right, sorry," He apologised.

Erza frowned, "Please explain," She said firmly, causing the brunette to nod.

"I lied about the payment, I do not have the money to pay for the mission," He said with a down cast expression.

Reyon was ready to get shot down but to his surprise. The armored girl did no such thing.

"Please continue,"

Looking up at the two mages before him, his face brightened up in relieve.

And so the brown haired teen began to tell them about his life.

How his father abandoned him and his pregnant mother. The debt, the rumoured magical herbs, and so on.

"I want to help her no matter what," He finished, making the redhead nodded with a serious expression on her face.

"I see, how admirable," She praised.

Reyon couldn't help but be taken back a little, "R-Really? No one had ever said anything like that to me before," He said shyly, rubbing his neck while his cheeks reddened, "Especially by such a beautiful girl," He murmured lowly, not wanting to be heard.

Naruto stared with a deadpan expression, Erza probably didn't hear it, but he certainly did.

Smooth…

Erza smiled and looked firmly into Reyon's green eyes, "Alright then, we shall accept this mission," She stated with confident.

The brunette to widen his eyes in delight.

"Really?! Thank you so much," Reyon cheered as he snatched the redhead's hands and shook it gently.

He eyebrows were raised as he noticed Naruto looking at him in an uninterested manner.

"What about you, Naruto-san? Are you okay with it?" He asked, but the blonde just brushed him off.

"I don't really care," Naruto stated plainly.

Money wasn't the problem. After all, losing someone precious was probably the worst thing that could ever happen and for some reason. Naruto knew that feeling quite well.

The three chatted happily about what time they will be leaving, neither noticed the calculating eyes of the three men on the nearby table.

XXXX

"Damn, this place is cold," Naruto stated as he rubbed both of his arms, trying to get rid of the goose bumps.

The redhead, who was walking not so far behind him frowned as she stared at his back, "That's what you get for wearing indoor clothes," She stated the obvious, making Reyon, who was walking next to her chuckle.

"I agree with Erza there," He commented, not bothering to use honorific.

The trio has left Oshibana and had reached their location for quite a while now. Luckily, they haven't come across any dangerous creatures yet… nor any dead bodies. The trio also found some of the herbs along the way, but they still needed more. Reyon turned his attention away from the blonde and peeked at the redhead from the corner of his eyes. Erza raised her eyebrow as she noticed that she was being stared at.

"Is there anything wrong?" She asked.

The brown haired teen quickly jerked back. He turned his head away to hide the blush on his face.

"N-Nothing's wrong," He sputtered.

Erza frowned at his action, "You can tell me if there's anything wrong," She said.

Reyon nodded before looking at her once more, he felt his heart beat faster as he noticed her chocolate brown eyes boring into his own. The brunette quickly avoided eyes contact and looked straight at the ground with heavily flushed cheeks.

"I-I was wondering," He started before looking at Naruto, who was _not_ paying attention, "What's your relationship between you and Naruto?" He asked with a timid voice.

Erza looked at him with confusion written all over her face. Why would he ask that? She was about to reply, but a certain blonde interrupted her.

"We're just friends," Naruto called out over his shoulder, causing the redhead to smile, and the brunette to sigh in relieve, "There's no way I would go out with a flat chested tomboy," He added.

Erza quickly widened her eyes as she gaped.

"W-Why you!" She sputtered, narrowing her eyes at him in embarrassment, "Me too! There's no way I would fall for with a bastard like you!" She barked back.

The blonde just gave her a whatever look before walking ahead. Erza clenched her fists, glaring at his back while Reyon chuckled lightly, trying to calm her down. The three bantered with each other as they continued to walk along the rocky path, towards the mountain ahead.

XXXX

Three figure stood unmoving on top of the edge of the cliff, gazing down at the view below them.

A man with raven coloured hair who wore a business suit crossed his arms and sneered as he saw the three children making their way closer towards where they were standing.

"What do you think is the best way to get rid of Warlock's kid?" He asked aloud, making the bald, large man who was standing beside him smile with sinister.

"I say we drop him off a cliff or something,"

A hum escaped his mouth, "Do you think she'll give up on the brat if we did?"

The bald man shrugged at his boss, "Who knows," Was his answer.

The black haired man said no more and a slight glint appeared in his eyes.

Yes, they were the debt collectors.

The family of two did not have the money to pay, and their sin had been decided. With a sharp turn. The boss stared at the tall man with sunglasses, who was standing not so far away from his partner.

"Chaser, we got a job for you," He said to the mage.

Yes, they were going to break Roseile Warlock and turn her into an emotionless woman as well as getting their hands on the redhead…

They were going to be a good item in the Auction House.

XXXX

Reyon wiped away the sweat on his forehead as he put the last remaining herbs inside the basket. With a pleased smile, he turned towards his two companions and spoke up.

"I think that should be enough. Thank you, you two,"

Right now they the three of them were standing in the middle of a mountain not so far away from Oshibana Town. Said mountain used to be a volcano, but it soon cooled down and many trees began to sprout up, making it turned into homes for many small animals and humans alike.

Though, the place was abandoned, nobody lived here anymore.

Erza looked at the older teen and smiled, "It's nothing much, we were doing what was right," Noticing that the sun was going down, the redhead mused, "It seems like it will get dark soon. I think we should head back,"

As Reyon heard this, he widened his eyes as he remembered the promise he had with his mother.

"Ah, crap!"

A sigh escaped Naruto's mouth. The whiskered teen watched as Reyon started to panic before turning his gaze to the setting sun.

Today was rather tiring…

All he did was pick herbs and listen to these two converse.

"Well then, let's make our way down," Erza began.

With nothing better to do, Naruto followed the two closely. He just wanted to get this over with.

…

"Naruto, watch out!"

Erza Scarlet shouted at the blonde behind her when she felt a presence rushing towards her friend.

With a confused expression, Naruto questioned aloud.

"What-,"

He did not get to finish when something kneed him the face.

Both Erza and Reyon watched in horror as Naruto was sent flying backward at an unimaginable speed. The blonde crashed through the trees with a painful grunt as his spine shattered into bits.

The redhead wasted no time and summoned a sword from her **Re:equip** storage space. Feeling the unknown presence coming towards her with **Observation Haki** , she brought up her sword to defend herself. Her action went in vain when she felt a sharp pain hit the back of her neck, and before she knew it. She was already out cold.

"Erza!" Reyon cried in worry as he rushed toward his fallen comrade.

The teen did not make it far when a tall man with sunglasses appeared before him in a sonic boom. Taking a step back, Reyon's eyes widened in fear as recognition bloomed across his face.

This man… he saw this man before. He was the guy who walked out of his mother's patient room along with the two goons. He looked exactly the same, but this time. He had a sword attached tightly to his hip.

Taking a step back, Reyon shrieked, "W-Who are you?"

The man made no expression and began to make his way closer towards the teen, "I am Chaser, and that is all you need to know,"

"Oi,"

Taken by surprise, the two turned their attention to the side to see a certain blonde massaging his broken nose as he leaned against the tree for support.

Naruto growled. That hurts like hell. He tensed his muscle as he felt his injuries healed. A frown made its way onto his face when he noticed Erza laying on the ground, unconscious.

"What the hell did you do?" He demanded, facing the taller man with anger in his eyes.

Said man did not budge. He stood his ground, staring straight at the blonde's eyes through his sunglasses.

"I thought that attack would shatter your skull, it seemed that you are more durable than I thought,"

His speech was calm and collecting, making Naruto felt uncomfortable.

This guy was dangerous.

Wasting no time, the blonde sprang into action. He leaped across the distance with his fist pulled back.

"You are slow,"

Naruto widened his eyes.

He watched helplessly as Chaser grabbed the hilt of his sword, and before he realised it.

His upper body was sliced off from his bottom half. He didn't even get the chance to scream in pain when darkness overwhelmed him.

XXXX

Reyon froze in his place as blood and inner organs splattered everywhere, painting the whole area red. Falling to his knee, the brown haired teen hurled up the food he ate this morning. Tears were streaming down his eyes as his face became paled.

Naruto died, and he did nothing to help.

Finishing his vomit. Reyon quickly looked up as he noticed Chaser picking up the unconscious redhead and slung her over his shoulder.

"W-What are you doing!" He cried loudly as he hastily got up on his feet.

He needed to protect her, he was the only one.

…

In a flash, Chaser shot through the sound barrier and grabbed his face. Reyon's expression was flabbergasted. How… what happened?

He could do nothing but stand in shock before the three of them disappeared in a sonic boom.

Leaving a half dead Naruto on the ground.

XXXX

Chaser stared impassively at the struggling boy before him. Right now they were standing near the edge of a cliff. The teen was trying as best as he could to escape his iron grip, which was holding him by the hair.

"Let go of me!" Reyon demanded as he winced in pain while jerking back and forth.

Looking below him, he couldn't help but feel fear overwhelmed his body. He swallowed the saliva down his throat before looked up, straight at the sunglasses man.

"W-What do you want from me?"

Chaser remained completely still.

"It is nothing personal, it was my client's order to assassinate you,"

Reyon gritted his teeth as he tried not to cry. Why do these things always happen to him? Why.

Why couldn't he live a normal life…

Why…

"Who are they?" A whisper came out of his mouth.

Why did he ask that?

Chaser's face remained unchanged. At least he could tell the boy the reason before he dies.

"The debt collectors,"

Those three words made Reyon's eyes widened beyond normal.

"W-What?!"

The man did not repeat himself. Instead, he continued.

"Do you want to know the reason your father disappeared?"

The brown haired teen stopped in his track. He eyed the mage before him with surprise and fear. Seeing the teen's face, Chaser once again, continued.

"The fool committed suicide after what my clients had done to your mother,"

Reyon froze. His father did not abandon them, but instead. He killed himself?

Why, why would he do that? What could they have done to his mother to make such a loving man commit suicide?

"What did they do to my… mother?"

A stern expression appeared on Chaser's face. The boy asked for it.

"They raped her,"

…

Reyon's limbs fell to his side as he stopped struggling.

So that's why his mother's always have a troubled face.

Why she always made a force smile every time he asked if she was alright.

Why she was pregnant…

Tears began to stream down his cheeks as his will to live started to fade away.

…

Seconds later. Reyon's lifeless body flew down and splattered against the cold rocks below him.

XXXX

Chaser turned around with an unemotional expression on his face. Once again, he had taken a life. How many times must he do this he wondered. Shaking his head, he looked on towards the red haired girl who was resting peacefully against the tree.

This girl as well. She will be trained and sold at the Auction House.

A downcast look made its way onto his face. It doesn't matter anymore. He needed to do this to achieve his goal. To find his brother.

Sawyer…

And with a sonic boom. He disappeared with the redhead over his shoulder.

XXXX

Untamed blue eyes flashed open. Naruto gasped for air as he shot up into a sitting position. He quickly moved his hands over his stomach where it had been cut. A relieve sigh escaped his mouth.

He was back in one piece.

The blonde frowned when he realised they he was all by himself and began to look around. No Erza or Reyon was in sight…

Picking himself up, he looked towards the side where footsteps and traces of a man-made pathway could be seen. Naruto narrowed his eyes before following along.

His instinct was telling him to get moving as soon as possible.

XXXX

Inside an abandoned warehouse. Two men in business suit could be seen seated on the old wooden boxes as they played with the cards in their hands.

A black haired man who tied his hair in a ponytail sighed, slamming the cards against the boxes in front of him, making his bald partner jumped a little.

"Where the hell is Chaser?!" He roared, running out of his patient.

The large man who was sitting on the opposite side of him gave a nervous chuckle. Seriously, his boss was scary when mad.

Suddenly, the door slammed opened, bringing the unwanted afternoon's light into the dark room. A silhouette of a tall man who seemed to be carrying a small girl appeared before them, making the black haired boss smile.

"Took you long enough, Chaser," He said darkly.

Chaser did not respond. Instead, he began to make his way inside and placed the red haired girl down before tying her up in ropes.

"So, how was it?"

His client asked.

"He is dead,"

The mage did not miss a glint in the dark haired man's eyes.

"What about the body?"

"…"

Seeing that the mage he had hired did not respond. The ponytail haired man snarled, "Get rid of the body!" He ordered loudly.

With a quick nod, Chaser disappeared in a sonic boom. Leaving a slightly surprised expression on his two client's face.

God, they really needed to get used to mages doing magical tricks.

XXXX

Naruto stared at the corpse below him. His eyes were bulging in horror as his brain tried to process the sight he was seeing.

Below him was Reyon's lifeless form.

What happened.

Gritting his teeth as his fists tightened so hard that his nails began to dig into his hands. The whiskered teen growled venomously.

"You are… still alive?"

Slowly turning his head behind him. Naruto's eyes flashed red. The whiskers on his cheeks began to deepen, making him look like a furious animal.

"You, did you do this?"

Chaser remained unmoving. Just what in the world was this boy?

"Yes," Came his reply.

The sunglasses man did not get to prepare himself when the red-eyed teen hurled his fist forward, shattering the air like glass. And before Chaser knew it, his surroundings began to fall apart as well as the air around him.

XXXX

Chocolate brown eyes flashed opened as her senses re-entered her body. With a quick glance around, her eyes narrowed in a slight degree. Right now Erza Scarlet knew she was inside an abandoned warehouse and was being held a hostage of some sort due to the ropes tying tightly to her body. The redhead calmed herself down before stretching out her senses with **Observation Haki**.

She wasn't alone.

In fact, there were two men. Both doesn't seem to be mages, but normal citizen.

A sigh escaped her pink lips. She covered her arms in **Armament Haki** before she tore the pieces of string apart as if they were spider web, freeing herself in the process.

Hearing the unnatural sound. Both men in business suits turned their attention towards their newest item. Their eyes widened in surprise when they spotted the redhead who was supposed to be tied up stood before them with a sword in her hand.

"H-How the hell did she get out?!" The large man exclaimed to his boss.

Said boss began to sweat. He doesn't know, but it doesn't matter.

"Get her, she's just a kid!" He ordered, making the bald man looked at him with fright.

"B-But she has a sword!"

Erza's eyes narrowed.

"Who are you people?" She demanded.

To her annoyance. The two grown men ignored her and began to have a conversation of their own, trying to decide what to do with her. Having run out of her patient. Erza Scarlet rushed at them without any warning what so ever and knocked them both out in the process.

XXXX

Chaser stared up at the sky as a glob of blood spilled from his mouth. His sunglasses were broken, revealing two blue eyes has no reflection in them. Right now his body was in serious pain. The cliff that he had been standing on had crumbled down after the blonde's attack.

His eyes slowly darted down towards the bottom half of his body. Chaser stared. His legs were crushed underneath the rubbles. There was no way he could get out, and even if he did. He would probably become a cripple.

Peeking at his surroundings, the half-dead man took in the view. Around him were rubbles of shattered rocks, laying on the ground as if it had been a rockslide. Chaser quietly sighed. He wondered if the boy had survived, the power that the child possessed was far from average.

It was deadly.

…

Suddenly, a rock was pushed from its position, revealing the said child that had caused all this chaos. From what Chaser could tell, the blonde was missing an arm. Blood was dripping from his head to toe. It seemed like the boy was also caught in his own attack...

He continued to stare expressionlessly until something spurts out from the armless shoulder of the boy's.

A new arm. Completely healed with no injuries at all.

Ah, so that was how he survived their first encounter.

Chaser could feel his body tensed when the whiskered teen's untamed blue eyes flashed at where his location was.

"You're still alive and kicking, huh?" The blonde's voice was rasp.

The mage continued to stay in silence as the blood stained teen began to hobble towards him.

 _"It seems like I won't be seeing you anytime soon, Sawyer,"_

XXXX

A sigh escaped Erza's mouth as she stared at the two unconscious businessmen who were tied up against the metal pole before her.

Many questions began to pop into her mind as she continued to stare. Who were they? What happened to her when she was knocked out? What was Naruto doing right now? Was Reyon alright?

Soon, she would get her answers when these two wake up…

A gasp erupted from her lips as the ground started to tremble violently. Erza couldn't help but wobble from side to side as she tried not to lose her balance. The armored girl grunted. She was sure that this was Naruto's doing. Without any thinking ahead, she quickly picked herself up and began to storm her way outside the warehouse. Her eyes widened tremendously as she saw the sight before her.

The mountains that were surrounding her were being tilted in all directions. Some were starting to crumble down, and others began to spurt up. Erza wondered what was going on, it was obvious that Naruto was in a fight. Clenching her fists, the redhead narrowed her eyes. She wanted to help him, but she did not want to get in his way.

As everything died down, she wasted no time and rushed towards where the blonde's presence was. She needed to get over there as fast as she could.

XXXX

When Erza reached her destination, she froze at the moment the smell of blood floated into her nose. The redhead carefully watched her steps, trying not to trip on the rubbles on the ground. She came out into an opening, only to widened her eyes at the sight before her.

Everything was a disaster. Giant pieces of rocks were laying lifelessly on the ground, and stood in the middle was Naruto, whose body was covered in blood. But that wasn't what surprised her the most.

It was the bodiless head in his hand.

The blonde was standing with his back facing her. Erza's body began to tremble as her blood ran cold.

"N-Naruto?" She spoke lower than a whisper, making the older teen turned towards her.

Tears began to fall down her widened left eye as she stared. Her friend stood unmovingly, and beside him was a headless body.

Naruto had killed, and his expression was emotionless.

XXXX

Roseile Warlock smiled as she watched the sunset inside of her hospital room. She wondered how her son was doing. Knowing that boy, he was probably lost track of time like usual. Her eyes dimmed down a little as she thought back to the past.

Her husband was a weak man; he had committed suicide when he found out what the debt collectors had done to her. Hugging herself, she couldn't get rid of the trauma that the two men had caused her. Before she was pregnant with their child, the would abuse her, used her, do many ridiculous things to her, and she couldn't even ask for help.

They threatened to kill her son.

A shaky sigh escaped her luscious lips. No matter what they do to her, she would protect her son from the shadow. She wanted to live a happy, maybe even become a mage and join a guild.

Yes. Roseile Warlock would endure.

Suddenly, she was cut out of her musing when the door slid open. Perking up, she forced a smile as she thought that her son had returned, but instead.

Stood before her was a blonde child whose bangs were covering his eyes. A confused expression appeared on her face as she continued to stare. She widened her green eyes slightly as she noticed the herbs in his basket.

Could this child know her son?

"Um, excuse me?"

The blonde boy flinched. Roselie noticed this, but continued either way.

"Could it be that you are Reyon's friend?" She asked kindly.

Her eyes widened with delight when the teen nodded slowly.

"I see~, so Reyon got a friend, huh?" She giggled, "I hope he doesn't trouble you much, he's a nice child and always get into trouble when he was a kid. Please take care of him," She rambled.

A confused look made its way onto her cherry face as she noticed the blonde's hand shake uncontrollably. She was about to ask what was wrong but stopped when the whiskered teen began.

"Your son… he's dead,"

…

…

…

The next day, a pregnant woman was found hanging herself from the ceiling of Oshibana's hospital room.

XXXX

Makarov stood inside his office with a disappointed frown on his wrinkled face. He stared at his two children before him, both of them came back and blood could be smelled from the blonde. Everyone was surprised. He had been very worried when he noticed the anxiety look on both of their faces and decided to let them into his office to report on what had happened on the mission.

Makarov was not pleased with the result.

The guild master looked between the two before he spoke up in disapproval, "Let me tell you something that the both of you should know," He narrowed his eyes at them, "Fairy Tail mages do not kill!" Magic began to surround his body as the ground shook violently.

Sweat of nervousness poured down Naruto and Erza's forehead as they nodded, making Makarov calmed down a little. The Magic disappeared and the midget sat back on his chair, he looked at the two once more and frowned.

"I know how you feel, but taking lives is not the right thing to do," He closed his eyes as he spoke, "I will keep it a secret and let it slide just this time." He said before opening his eyes, only to see an intensely focused Erza.

Makarov raised his eyebrow and looked around, trying to locate a certain blonde. Failing to find him, the guild master turned his head towards the armored redhead and asked.

"Where's Naruto?"

Erza jointed up before pointing her finger at the exit, "He said something about going to the bathroom and left," She stated.

The tiny guild master felt one of his eyes twitch in annoyance. The blonde just literally ditched him when he was about to teach a lesson into his thick skull. He sighed tiredly while scratching his head. Naruto had always done what he wanted ever since he joined, it was impossible to tame that wildcard.

"And you just let him go?" He questioned, causing the redhead to fidget with her skirt.

In truth, Makarov knew that Erza always had a soft spot on the blonde, she would always treat him more differently than the other members. He didn't know why, but maybe it was because Naruto was stronger than her? The guild master shook his head, trying to clear the thoughts before paying attention to the redhead once more.

"Anyway, where was I?" He asked before continued on with his lecture.

XXX

Naruto took a step outside of Makarov's office, he hid his eyes behind his bangs and began to walk towards the exit. He didn't have time to listen to the old man's lecture, he knew full well what the midget was about to say, and he completely agrees with it. Killing wasn't always the right thing to do. The blonde narrowed his eyes at the ground as he walked passed the worried eyes of a certain white haired girl, being in Fairy Tail made him forget just how cruel the world really was. Naruto looked down at his feet, he really needed to rethink about his life.

…

Mirajane sat on one of the benches with a worried frown on her face, she watched Naruto walked towards the exit and sighed. She had been surprised when both, the blonde and Erza came back with a really anxiety expression on their faces. Naruto looked completely fine but the smell of blood made her confuse, was that his own blood or someone else's. The thought made her cringed, what if he had… killed. The white haired girl hastily shook her head. She did not want to think about it. She sighed once more and looked around the guild, there weren't many people around right now since it was dark out. Probably around 10pm, and most people had gone home by now, epically the children. Mirajane couldn't help but feel worried as she looked towards where the blonde had left.

She just hoped that he was alright.

XXXX

Erza Scarlet laid on her bed while in her favorite pajamas, she had a frown on her face as she thought back to her talk with the master. She didn't know what to think of his lectures about killing. Sure, she completely agrees with him, but she had already grown used to Rayleigh's ways of the world. Her mentor had always taught her that killing was necessary if it was needed to, especially in the situation Naruto was in. The man had killed Reyon…

The redhead sighed tiredly as she rolled to the side and stared at the full moon from her window. She couldn't sleep. She didn't know what to believe in anymore. Erza slowly got up and put on her slippers before heading outside of her room. She wanted to go for a walk to clear her mind. The redhead sneakily tiptoed downstairs, not wanting to make any sound. She reached the door, unlocking it before stepping outside.

She inhaled the fresh smell of the midnight air and looked over at the town. As the clouds moved away, the moon made its chance to shine through, lighting the whole area up. The air felt cosy as the wind brushed against her skin. She relaxed her body and took a step forward, only to grimaced lightly when she felt the wetness of the grass. Even though she was in her slippers, she could feel the wetness seeping through. Erza ignored the feeling and continued walking onward.

"Where should I go?" The redhead mumbled to herself until a certain place popped up into her mind, "The riverside should be good," She murmured.

…

After about five minutes of walking. Erza arrived at her destination, she smiled as she took in the gorgeous view in front of her. The moon's lights reflected on the water, causing it to flicker beautifully. She continued to observe before noticing a tuft of spiky blonde hair on the ground. The redhead raised one of her eyebrows before advancing towards it.

"Naruto?" She asked, making the said blonde who was laying down on his back look up at her.

Naruto stared, "Shouldn't you be in bed?" He asked casually.

Erza gave a small smile before sitting herself down, she hugged her knees and frowned lightly.

"I couldn't sleep," She muttered quietly as she peeked from the corner of her eyes and stared at him, "Don't you ever change your outfit?" She questioned.

The blonde looked at her with a bored look, "What's wrong with it?" He responded.

"Nothing, it's just that you're always wearing those indoor clothes of yours, don't you get bored of them?" She asked. To be honest, they looked pretty lame. (Naruto always wear a plain shirt, below knee level shorts and flip flops. The casual outfit)

Naruto scoffed, "I don't want to hear that from a girl who wears pajamas for a night walk,"

The redhead smiled and ignored his comment. Talking with him cleared her mind quite a bit, she looked at her feet as she was about to bring up an unpleasant subject.

"Do you think killing him was right?" She asked.

Naruto's eyes dimmed down as he stared aimlessly at the midnight sky, "Who knows…,"

The redhead sighed lightly before snuggling deeper into her knees, "That's what I thought," She mumbled sarcastically, but the blonde heard clearly.

"What do you expect," He scoffed.

Erza did not retort back, but instead. She stared at her feet. She did not want to feel like that ever again, she couldn't even do anything against their enemy. She was still as weak as ever…

The redhead clenched her fists. She has to become stronger so that she could protect her comrades no matter what.

She vowed to herself.

…

And so the two sat in silence, neither one of them moved until morning came.

* * *

 **Blah, I did not enjoy writing this chapter as I did with the other ones.**

 **So? Did I do a good job to make you feel a bit angst? If not then this must be pretty cringe xd.**

 **Anyways, I won't be writing something like this again in this story.**

 **I also will be doing Q &A from now on so please ask away. **


	6. Chapter 6 - The Dark King

**Here it is, sorry it took too long. I was taking my time writing. Answers to questions will be at the end of**

 **the chapter**

* * *

(Three years later)

In the cold winter night of Magnolia, a red-haired teenage girl could be seen walking through the icy road nearby the edge of the town. She wore a white button up shirt, a dark blue skirt that reached down below her knees. Her long scarlet hair blew against the chilly wind as she tried to keep the bangs out of her face.

Erza smiled lightly as she spotted a familiar apartment on the side of the road. A sigh of relieve escaped her soft lips when she noticed that the lights were still on. The redhead stepped onto the slippery stairs and began to make her way up.

Three years have passed and a lot of things had happened after the Reyon incident. She had thrown herself into training every day, pushing further and further beyond her limits. Erza had gotten stronger, much stronger than she had been. She was even picked to go on an S class Promotion Trial which she had passed along with Mirajane and their other member, Mystogan. She didn't really know what to think of him at first, other than suspicious looking.

A soft frown appeared on the redhead's face as she stood in front of the door. It has already been three years since she had seen Rayleigh, she wondered if he was doing alright, maybe she could give him a visit?

Erza moved her hand and knocked on the door three times. She waited for a reply until the sound of 'who is it?' rang from the inside, causing her to perk up lightly.

She smiled and replied back, "It's me,"

As the teenage girl waited, a long minute of silence went past until the door creaked open. Her eyes widened when a tall, shirtless blonde haired teen stood before her. His hair was drenched, probably just got out of the shower. Erza trailed her eyes down to his chest and her cheeks started to go red.

"P-Put on a shirt will you?!" She sputtered out in embarrassment with her head down, trying to hide the redness on her cheeks.

The blonde stared at her with a blank expression before going back inside and grabbed a shirt, he put it on and turned his head towards her.

"Whatever, what're you doing here this late anyway?" He asked, a little bit annoyed.

The blush on Erza's cheeks died down as she collected herself, "There's something I want to talk to you about," She said firmly as she looked at him.

Naruto hasn't changed much in the past three years. Sure, he had grown a lot taller and more muscular, but he still acted the same and still wore the same casual outfit. The redhead mentally sighed before taking a step inside, she looked around, only to raise an eyebrow in surprise. The place had changed a lot since she had last been here, there were much more items around the room now. As Erza continued to observe the apartment, her brown eyes widened slightly when she spotted the four finished plates on the dining table. Many thoughts were running through her mind as she tried to process the image right in front of her. Why were there finished plates on Naruto's table? Especially four, did he perhaps invited people over? Were they his friends that she doesn't know about? Were they… girls?

Naruto, who had finished drying his hair, looked over to his childhood friend. He noticed the look on her face and frowned, " _What is she staring at_?" he followed her gaze to where the finished plates were.

"Oh, those?" The blonde spoke, catching the newly S class mage's attention, "Natsu, Gray, and Lisanna came over to play so I made them dinner," He stated casually before gathering up the finished plates and putting them into the dishwasher.

Erza frowned, a little bit peeved. How come she wasn't invited? The redhead mentally sighed and sat herself down on the couch, watching the blonde put away the cloth that he was cleaning with. Fidgeting with her skirt when she noticed that his eyes were boring into her, Erza couldn't help but ask.

"W-What?" A tiny pink hue appeared on her cheeks.

The blonde stopped staring and slouched down onto the nearby chair, "Nothing, it's just that I haven't really seen you with your hair down up until now," He said casually, "I do think that it suits you, though," He added, causing Erza to look at him with disbelieving eyes.

Did Naruto just compliment her? He said that she looked good with her hair down…

A soft smile crept onto the redhead's face as her cheeks started to reddened once more, "R-Really-,"

"Anyway, what do you want to talk about? Since you came all the way here this late, it must be important right?" Naruto cut her off before she could reply.

Erza's face returned normal as she stared at him blankly. The blonde sure knows how to kill the mood. She exhaled loudly before replying, "I was wondering if you're free tomorrow,"

Naruto raised his eyebrow at the question, "Sure, but why?" He asked, somewhat curious.

Erza smiled, "There's someone I would like you to meet,"

Now that got the blonde's attention, "Who is it?"

"You will have to find out for yourself," The redhead stated before getting up, "I will meet you tomorrow at the train station around 8am, don't be late," She said and headed towards the exit.

Naruto stared at her with a doubtful look, "Oi, Erza," He called out, making her turned around and looked at him, "Don't bother bringing that luggage of yours. If you do, I'll burn it to a crisp," He threatened darkly. Seriously, she had always brought that massive luggage of hers and almost made them misses the train every single time.

Erza furrowed her eyebrows and made a light pout with her cheeks. She couldn't believe that Naruto just threatened her, she gave out a loud 'hmph' sound before walking out and shutting the door behind her. She shivered slightly as she felt the cold wind blew against her tender skin, caressing her scarlet hair and skirt.

Erza smiled before happily walking back towards Fairy Hills, she needed to change her image tomorrow.

XXXX

Naruto quivered as he felt the cold morning wind swept against his skin. He sniffed and rubbed both of his arms, trying to keep himself warm. It has been nearly thirty minutes and there was no Erza in sight, the blonde gave out a shaky sigh before turning around when the sound of footsteps was heard behind his ears. His eyes widened slightly when he saw Erza stood before him, her long, scarlet hair was now down, she wore a new, custom made armor, a blue skirt that reached just above her knees, and a pair of black combat boots. (Canon outfit)

"What's with the new outfit?" Naruto questioned as he stared at her. He had to admit, it does look good on her. Not that he would state it out loud.

The redhead frowned slightly in disappointment, she had changed her image, and even let her hair down, she didn't even get a compliment. She crossed her arms and looked to the side, trying to avoid eyes contact.

"Well, since I'm an S class mage, I've decided to change my image. Besides, my old outfit doesn't fit anymore," She murmured the last part.

Naruto stared. Erza has passed the S class promotion trial about a week ago, she was pretty disappointed when his name wasn't called out. The blonde raised one of his eyebrows as he noticed her trembled slightly, his eyes trailed down towards her armor and skirt. A sigh escaped his mouth as he stared dumbly at her. Why would she wear such a short skirt, especially in winter? It was as if she was trying to impress him, which was strangely working.

Naruto pointed his numb finger at her tight, "Aren't you cold wearing that?" He asked casually.

The redhead had a glint in her eyes and a sly smirk appeared on her face, "I could say the same to you," She interjected, staring at his clothes, which was a plain shirt, shorts, and flip-flops. Of course.

"Whatever," The blonde scowled.

The two continued to argue about useless nonsense until a flake of snow glided down between their faces. Slowly looking up at the grey sky, their eyes widened in surprise.

"It's… snowing," Naruto stated.

"Hm, It's beautiful," She nodded in agreement.

The two stood motionlessly as they watched the flakes continued to fall. The coldness started to seep through their bones, but they didn't waver. The sight was too beautiful for either of them to care. Naruto and Erza were cut out of their astonishment when an announcement was made.

'Train on platform four will be departing in five minutes'

The both of them turned their attention towards each other and stared. The redhead was about to suggest that they should get on but was interrupted when her hand was suddenly snatched. She looked up, only to see an annoyed expression on Naruto's face, probably because she was late. Before Erza could say anything, she was violently yanked forward. She could hear Naruto muttered something to her about useless luggage and lateness, but she didn't listen. She was too busy looking at how cold his hand was. A soft smile appeared on her face as her cheeks started to go warm.

" _What an odd feeling_ ," She thought.

XXXX

"Man… this place sure is busy even in the morning,"

Naruto commented with slight astonishment in his voice, his eyes gazed at the morning street of Clover Town. Many people were setting up their little stand, chatting happily to one another as if today was going to be big. He couldn't help but smile lightly at the sight, the place looked so alive, it made him felt as if he was a part of it.

"Oh, did you not know?" Said Erza from his side, making him turn towards her, "Today Clover town is having a firework festival,"

Naruto stared, "It's that time of the year already…?" The eighteen years old blonde mussed, causing the armored redhead to nod.

The two began to walk in a comfortable silence through the busy street. Naruto didn't really know where she was taking him, but he didn't really care.

Only time will tell.

With nothing better to do, the whiskered blonde looked around in a relaxed manner. The street was filled with people, making it hard to navigate. Suddenly, an all too familiar smell caught his nose, and with a sharp turn of his head, Naruto was met with a ramen stand. Though, the stand doesn't look like it was open. He could tell by seeing how the chefs were unpacking boxes of noodles and preparing for the night.

Naruto sighed, he turned his attention back towards his redhead friend, only to see that she was already gone.

A blank look made its way onto his face.

"Huh?"

XXXX

Erza Scarlet couldn't help but smile as she spotted a familiar weapon store in front of her. It has been three long years since she had visited this place. She wondered how the blacksmith that was always so kind to her doing, was he well? A feeling of strong nostalgia grew over her, the place hasn't changed a bit, it looked the same as when she left. She looked over her shoulder to where Naruto was standing.

Or so she thought…

Scratching her head in slight confusion, the redhead's face narrowed in thoughts. She was sure that Naruto was standing next to her just about a minute ago…

Shaking her head lightly, she turned back to look at the only weapon store in Clover Town. It doesn't really matter. Naruto will be alright by himself, she could always use her **Observation Haki** to locate him.

And with a smile on her face, the teenage girl took a step inside.

XXXX

Istya Vesouna, the self-proclaim greatest blacksmith in the world stared up at the ceiling of his shop/house with a bored expression on his bearded face. Today was rather quiet, he hasn't had any customers since the shop was opened. It probably got something to do with the firework festival going on. Honestly, he might as well close the shop for today and go enjoy the day with the rest of his family and friends.

Istya's eyebrow was raised when the sound of the store's entrance was opened. Stood before him was a young adult girl with long scarlet red hair. She wore a custom-made armor that was covering her chest, her neat blue skirt stopped above her knee, teasing many men's feeling, except him of course, he was a married man, dammit. Istya could feel that the confident air around the teenage girl, it was as if she was ready for anything…

A confused expression slapped him across the face when he noticed that she was smiling at him with delight.

"Istya-san!" She called.

Eh?

Had he met this beautiful young lady before?

Looking at her closely. His eyes widened slightly.

Red hair, brown eyes, and armor…

"Erza?" The breaded man questioned aloud in realisation.

The girl in armor nodded, "Yes," She chirped.

Erza stared with slight worry when she saw the blacksmith's jaw dropped. She didn't get to ask if he was alright when Istya swiftly made his way towards her.

"Holy cow! You've change a lot in just three years, what happened to you? And your eye, you have two eyes now! Can you really see through them? You gotten a boyfriend yet? Hey, how old are you? Like seventeen? Hahaha!"

Many questions were thrown at her as she tried her best to reply as much as she could. Istya was always so energetic, it seemed like he didn't change much in the past years.

"How are you doing with your family, Istya-san?" Erza asked, trying to get the man to change the subject.

Said man became more alive, "Ha! The same as ever. My wife still nags at me, and my seven-year-old daughter started to think that I'm stupid!" He made a face at her, "Ya know? You'll feel my pain when you have a chid yourself, so? Who's the lucky guy?"

The S class mage chuckled lightly, she wondered how she managed to keep up with his talking pace when she was a kid.

"But you know," Isya smiled, slowing down a little, "I've been hearing a lot of good things about you. You're an S class mage now, it's amazing. I feel like I'm growing old,"

Erza couldn't help but smile, a small blush of embarrassment appeared on her face. It felt nice to be praised.

"I'm sure Rayleigh would be proud,"

XXXX

Naruto strolled through the busy street, it was one in the afternoon, and he had not made any process in finding his red haired childhood friend anywhere. Giving up, the blonde plopped himself down at the nearby park and exhaled heavily.

Life was such a pain.

Gazing up at the grey sky. He wondered how the fireworks would look like in a weather like this… just imagine if it started to snow again. He slowly looked down and turned his attention to the sound of children chatting happily to one another. A soft expression appeared on his face, kids these days doesn't have a care in the world, they just go on their days not knowing what was going on around them.

He wished he could go back being a kid… if he had parents that is.

… Parents.

He wondered what having one feel like, do they make you feel more secure? Do they nag, discipline you when you did something wrong?

Naruto frowned. Sometimes, he really wanted to know about his past.

…

A loud shout of a drunkard cut him out of his emo thoughts. The whiskered blonde looked onwards, towards a certain stand.

'Free homemade alcohol'

It said.

Naruto continued to stare, wasn't alcohol supposed to be drink at night? Scratching his head, he got up from where he was seated and began to walk towards the stand. He hasn't tried alcohol before so he was rather curious. As the whiskered blonde got closer, his face scrunched up slightly as the smell of strong liquor floated past his nose.

Should he really be doing this?

Looking around, the only people he saw were a bunch of elderly looking men who seemed to be jobless hobos.

…

Well, what could possibly go wrong…

Getting the stand owner's attention, Naruto sat himself down next to the silver hooded cloak individual. A slightly bored look on his whiskered face.

"What can I get ya, lad?" The stand owner said, shaking the whisky in his hand.

"I'm new at this." Naruto began, making everybody who was seated near him raised their eyebrows.

"What, you've never had alcohol before, kid?" The large man sitting on the left side of him slurred.

The blonde looked back with no faze what so ever, this guy looked pretty stoned, and it was still morning…

"Of course not, I just turned eighteen not so long ago," He replied in an uncaring manner.

"I see, it must be good to be young," The hooded silver cloaked man commented from his right side, causing Naruto's eyes to lazily float towards him.

The blonde couldn't help but raise his brows slightly. The man next to him had a scar running down one of his eyes under his round glasses, the clothing he wore were quite similar to his own, except for the cloak and sandals.

Now that Naruto looked closely, the outfit looked pretty darn cool… especially the silver hooded cloak.

Turning his attention back to the stand owner, the blonde growled a little.

"Whatever, just get me your strongest drink,"

That statement made the nearby people covered their mouth with laughter.

"Ha! This kid got balls!" The large man laughed, slapping his hand against Naruto's back in a friendly manner.

The teenage boy growled even louder. Dammit, annoying old people. His irritation was cut short when he noticed the stand owner rubbed his chin in a thoughtful manner.

"What?" He asked blankly.

"Hmm, having such a strong drink for your first time is kinda… ya know? Too much?"

…

Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"You saying that I'll be knocked out straight away?" He snarled.

The elderly men stopped for a second before giving him a mocking smile.

Something inside the Naruto snapped.

He quickly snatched the bottle of alcohol from the owner's hand and exclaimed loudly.

"Watch! I'll show you!"

And much to everyone's delight, the blonde began to drown the whole bottle of sake.

XXXX

Staring expressionlessly at the darkened sky, Erza couldn't help but feel stupid. She had lost track of time talking to Istya, catching up to the old days. Right now it was three in the afternoon. The Scarlet sighed as she massaged her forehead, she stretched her senses out, trying to locate the strongest energy in the town.

She needed to find Naruto before it gets too dark.

XXXX

Naruto staggered from side to side, trying not to fall over his ass. He clutched his head in annoyance as his vision blurred, he could see different coloured lights in all direction, it was as if he was in a disco. The blonde tripped on the air and crashed into the near dustbins, making many people who were passing by sweat dropped.

Naruto grunted slightly as he stared up at the grey sky, not bother trying to get up.

"Damn you, Rayleigh…," He slurred.

That cloaked old man made him drink five whole bottles of sake and ditched him at the last minute, leaving him to pay the bills. A tired sigh escaped the blonde's mouth, he really needed to spend his money more wisely…

Silence engulfed him as he laid on his back. He wondered where Erza was right now… What the hell was she doing?

…

What was the whole point of coming here again?

Oh, right. To meet a certain someone.

Naruto's expression became deadpan. This was so tiring… he exhaled lightly when he felt strong magnet pulling his eyelids down, making him enter a satisfying slumber.

XXXX

" _Naruto…," The painful melody sound of a female voice spoke gently to his ears, "Don't be a picky. Eat lots and grow strong,"_

 _He blinked, and the voice continued._

" _Make sure you bathe every day and stay warm. Also don't stay up late. You need lots of sleep,"_

 _A cough was heard._

" _Make friends, you don't need a lot of friends… Just a few, ones you can really trust…,"_

 _The woman paused. For some reason, he could tell that she was smiling._

" _I wasn't very good at it, but keep up with your studies and practice your ninjutsu hard. Remember that everyone has strengths and weaknesses. So don't get too depressed if you can't do something well,"_

 _Who are you? He asked, but there was no sound coming out of his mouth._

" _Respect your teachers and upperclassmen at the Academy… Oh, and this is important. It's about the Three Prohibitions for a ninja,"_

… _Ninja?_

" _Be extra careful about lending and borrowing money. Put your mission wages into your saving accounts. No alcohol until you're twenty. Too much can ruin your health, so drink in moderation,"_

 _Another pause, followed by another painful cough. But the woman still tried her best to speak._

" _Another prohibition is women... I'm a woman, so I don't know too much about this but… All you need to remember is that this world is made up of men and women. So it's only natural to take an interest in girls… But just don't get hooked on bad women. Find someone just like me. Speaking of the Three Prohibitions, be wary of Jiraiya-sensei, you know," She forced a stiff laugh, trying to lighten up the mood._

 _For some odd reason, he knew that she was in a lot of pain. Suddenly an image of a red haired woman being held up by a blonde haired man flashed in his mind. They were bleeding heavily while a claw was lazily implanted through their stomach. The red haired woman breathed heavily with a tired look in her eyes._

" _Naruto, from now on, you're going to face lots of pain and hardship. Be true to yourself. Have a dream and have the confidence to make that dream come true," Tears were now starting to fall down her cheeks as her voice became shakier, "There's so much… So much more that I want to pass on to you. I wish I could stay with you longer,"_

 _She gave him a painful smile._

" _I love you, my little boy,"_

… _Mom?_

 _The woman sobbed, she spoke quietly over her shoulder, "Minato, I'm sorry I used up your time,"_

 _The blonde haired man shook his head with his own painful smile, "It's okay," He looked over the woman's shoulder and gazed at him, "Naruto, my message to you is… I guess it's the same as your nagging mother's, I want you to stay strong and become the greatest ninja in the world…,"_

 _He closed his eyes and tiredly whispered to the silent air._

" _ **Eight Trigrams Seal**_ _,"_

 _Naruto's world became white._

XXXX

Looking on at the scene before her, Erza couldn't help but grimaced with slight disgust. In front of her was Naruto who was laying on his back near the dirty dustbins, sleeping away without a care in the world. Though, what disgust her the most was the smell of alcohol around him, it reminded her of a certain mentor that she was supposed to be visiting today.

With a small sigh, she bent down and picked him up, slinging one of his arms over her neck for support. She smiled when a soft groan escaped his slightly parted lips. Seriously, this guy…

"Mom?"

That one word made her stop. Her eyes quickly darted to her side, only to see Naruto looking up at her with half opened and hazy eyes. Calming herself from her surprise, she was about to tell him to get a grip, but couldn't as the next sentence that came out of his mouth.

"Why…?" He whispered, "Why did he seal such a thing into his own son?" He sobbed

Erza was speechless, to see Naruto acting like this…

"Do you guys know what I went through because of that?!" The blonde fell to his knees, punching the ground in frustration. The redhead hurriedly bent down to his side, "All the grown-ups looked at me with contempt… And I couldn't make any friends!"

He gritted his teeth and buried his forehead against the dirty ground. Erza did nothing but watch with a shock expression.

"I always wanted people to accept me, so I trained really hard to become strong, you know?" He muttered with a shaky voice as his eyes slowly closed due to tiredness.

Erza continued to watch, her fists were clenching tightly as she frowned. Seeing him like this made her heart ache. The armored teen carefully picked him up and began to walked towards the nearest bench.

Must be the alcohol talking…

XXXX

Silvers Rayleigh smiled as he poured the strong liquor down his glass. He was seated on one of the mountain rock near his home, making him able to see his surroundings in all direction, especially the town. This spot was probably one of the best places to watch firework…

Looking up at the darkened sky, his eyes softened behind his round glasses. It has been exactly five years since he was sent to this world… Rayleigh couldn't help but wonder how his wife was doing. Had Luffy achieved his dream yet? All the questions raged in his mind as he couldn't find the answer… It was quite sad.

The elderly man was cut out of his thoughts as he felt two strong presences appeared on his **Observation Haki** radar. It felt very familiar. Getting up, Rayleigh placed his drinks down carefully, he needed to investigate this. Drinking can come later.

And with that said, he disappeared in a blur of silver.

XXXX

Erza stood in front of a cabin that she hadn't seen a long time. She had Naruto's arm over her shoulders as her right hand held his side, keeping him on his feet. The blonde was pretty much unconscious.

Looking around, she noticed that the place had changed drastically. The trees had grown quite a lot, as well as the grass. There were more logs for campfire now than before, probably due to the winter. Erza gazed at the cabin once more. It doesn't seem like anybody was home, the lights were off and it was dead quiet. She couldn't help but smile sadly, she wondered how Rayleigh was doing…

The sound of bushes rustling caught her ears. She unconsciously dropped Naruto to the ground, and a loud thud echoed through the area. She turned around, summoning a sword from her **Re:equip** space and growled.

"Who's there?!" She yelled.

The redhead's eyes narrowed as a silhouette of a man walked out of the bushes. The moon's light pierced through the thick clouds, brightened up the whole area as well as making her armor glittered.

Her hold on the sword loosened when the man came into view. The moonlight lit up his scarred face under his round glasses, making her eyes widen.

"R-Rayleigh-san?"

Noticing that his name was called, the elderly man raised an eyebrow. That voice sounded familiar…

"Erza?"

Now that surprised him. The little girl that he knew turned into a fine young lady. He rubbed his chin as he smiled, how long has it been now? Erza was probably around seventeen. The old pirate looked at her, he couldn't help but notice the individual that was laying down, face flat against the floor.

Rayleigh pointed towards the unconscious blonde, "Erza-kun, is it wise for your friend to be sleeping like that?"

The redhead widened her eyes. Crap, she forgot. With a swift action, she picked up her blonde childhood friend as she did before.

"Rayleigh-san, I would like you to meet Naruto, he is the person that I've been telling you about,"

Rayleigh's face became unreadable. Now that he got a closer look, he could remember that whiskered cheeks from anywhere… it was the boy from the alcohol stand. A small chuckle escaped his mouth. To think that he had met the child that possessed that had the power to destroy the world by just mere coincidence. Life sure was unpredictable.

Looking at the blonde once more. Rayleigh sweat dropped. The teen was completely knocked out, and most of it was his fault…

Rubbing his bearded chin, the elderly man spoke, "Well then, I suggest we go inside, it's getting quite cold out here,"

XXXX

Headache.

That was the first thing Naruto woken up to. He massaged his head as he slowly sat up. A small groan came out of his mouth. The blonde tried his best to remember what happened yesterday, but nothing seemed to appear. With a frown, his face scrunched up in thought.

That dream…

No. It wasn't a dream; it was a memory.

Naruto was cut out of his thoughts when he noticed his surroundings. He was in an unknown room that was messy unlike his own. Many written papers were laying lazily on the tables; it was as if the person that brought him here was a writer. His blue eyes gazed across the room as a slightly surprised look appeared on his whiskered face. On the walls were many animal heads. For some reason Naruto thought that it went well with the surrounds, giving him a cosy vibe around the cabin.

"It seems you're awake, Naruto-kun," The sound of a familiar voice spoke, catching his attention.

Turning around, the blonde spotted the same man who made him steamed for the first time in his life, standing at the door with a relaxed posture.

"Rayleigh…," He hissed, making the man smile.

"My, don't give me that look,"

Ignoring the elderly man's comment, he ran a hand through his blonde locks, "So? How long have I been out for?" Asked Naruto casually.

Rayleigh grabbed a chair and sat himself down near the bed where the blonde was resting, "About a day," He replied.

A shock expression appeared on the teen's face. A day? He had been out that long? What about Erza? What happened to her? Seeing the look on Naruto's face. Rayleigh couldn't help but smile.

"If you're worrying about Erza then don't worry, she was the one who brought you here,"

Now that definitely lifted the stress from his shoulders. Naruto raised a brow and looked at the elderly man beside him.

"You know Erza?" He questioned.

Rayleigh simply nodded, "Yes, I was the one who taught her how to fight, after all,"

Something clicked inside Naruto's head. A deadpan expression made its way onto his face as he stared. This guy… Was this the guy that Erza wanted him to meet? He sighed. Now he felt kind of stupid.

"Does she know?" The blonde asked out of the blue.

An unsure look was shown on Rayleigh's scarred face, he doesn't really know what the teen was talking about, but he could guess that it had something to do with last yesterday's night…

"The alcohol,"

Ah, he was right all along. With an innocent smile, the old pirate shook his head. For some reason, this action made Naruto feel a little bit irked, probably a lie. Looking around, the blonde asked aloud.

"So? Where is she?"

Rayleigh wasted no time to reply, "She went out shopping, I say she'll be back right about an hour or so,"

Just as he said that the door slammed opened, revealing one Erza Scarlet holding a bag of grocery in her hand as she stood in front of the entrance.

"Rayleigh-san, I'm back," She said, her eyes lit up slightly as she spotted her friend sitting on the bed, "Naruto… you're up,"

The blonde looked at her with a relaxed posture, "Uh, yeah…," He turned towards the window and flinched as the morning sun's ray stabbed his eyes, "Ah, Fuck," He cussed.

Rayleigh saw this and laughed.

"Naruto, you should take it easy," Erza frowned with worry as she made her way towards him. She reached into the grocery bag and pulled out a box of tablets, "Here," She made a motion with her hand.

Naruto raised his brow as he gratefully accepted the item. The teen skimmed through the text on the front with a lazy expression.

'Hangover pills'

It said.

…

"I'm not hungover!" He cried at the two.

Rayleigh rubbed his chin due to old habits while Erza stared with an unreadable expression on her face.

And before Naruto knew it. Many pills and water were forced down his throat.

XXXX

"So? What exactly is going on?" The eightteen year old blonde questioned the elderly man who was seated on the opposite side of him.

Right now the three of them were seated on a table in the living room. Rayleigh couldn't help but notice how Erza was sitting on the blonde's right side with a calm and collecting posture, it was as if she was a knight protecting a king while in some sort of an important meeting…

Rayleigh smiled, it seemed like his student had a lot of respect for the blonde disaster. He looked on, straight into Naruto's laid back eyes and began the conversation.

"I have been hearing a lot of things about you, Naruto-kun,"

Naruto stared, "Oh really? Cool," He quipped.

Ignoring the comment, he continued, but this time. His eyes glimmered slightly, "Tell me, have you seen a strange looking fruit with swirly patterns?" He questioned, trying to get some information.

Erza tilted her head in confusion, what was Rayleigh talking about now? She turned to look at her blonde friend and her eyes widened slightly as she saw him froze in his place.

Time seemed to be stopped for Naruto, now that he thought about it. There was this one time where he came across a strange fruit with weird patterns…

"Yeah… I have," He said, almost robotically.

The cloaked man nodded as he closed his eyes, "Did you eat it?"

"Yeah," He did.

"Can you swim?"

…

"No,"

Rayleigh smiled, he opened his eyes to see a surprised blues.

"Naruto, it seemed like you have eaten a Devil Fruit,"

Now that statement turned the teens' face into confusion.

"Huh?" Came the two's clever reply.

Rayleigh rubbed his chin, how should he explain this?

"You see, the place I was originally from…"

And so, the elderly man began to explain to the two teens what Devil Fruits were, what types there were, and much more.

Naruto and Erza couldn't help but be amaze at the story. It was as if Rayleigh had come from a different world or something... Huh?

"So they're magical fruits?"

The elderly man sweat dropped, "Yes, close enough,"

Naruto's face became thoughtful, to think that he was armed with the strongest Paramecia fruit in existence… He didn't know how to feel. Should he be happy or worried?

To have the power to destroy the world with his own two hands…

His mussing was cut short as he noticed the serious look on Rayleigh's face. For some reason, he could feel that the old pirate was excited. He wondered why…

"Now then, Naruto-kun," The elderly man began, "What are you planning on doing now? With this power of yours," Rayleigh couldn't contain the smirk on his face as his eyes glimmered.

He wanted to know what the teen's ambition was…

Erza noticed this and sweat began to pour down her forehead. Her mentor was definitely up to no good. Looking at Naruto, the redhead waited for his answer.

…

Naruto stared at the table with an unreadable expression, now that he thought about it. What did he really wanted to do with his life? He already had achieved the freedom that he always wanted… But now what? Was he just going to do nothing all day and laze around? Taking a deep breath, he thought back to the voices of his parents.

" _Be true to yourself. Have a dream and have the confidence to make that dream come true,"_

Mom…

" _I want you to stay strong and become the greatest ninja in the world…,"_

Dad…

…

Both Rayleigh and Erza were surprised when the blonde looked up with an unusual light in his eyes. Instead of the lazy and bored look.

His eyes were now filled with determination.

"I'm going to become the greatest ninja in the world,"

…

Huh?

XXXX

{Omake/Extra)

Staring outside the frosted window of the train, Naruto yawned. His eyes slowly drifted towards the redhead who was sitting on the opposite side of him. Erza was fast asleep. It was as if she was really tired. The two of them had bid their goodbyes to the old pirate and went on their ways. Seriously, it was kind of surprising to see the look on her face when they parted ways.

Naruto smiled, the visit wasn't all that bad. At least he got the taste of good alcohol for his first time. He was quite proud of that actually; he might do it again.

Suddenly, a flash of memory appeared in his mind.

" _No alcohol until you're twenty,"_

…

Ah, shit.

* * *

 **I hoped you liked it?**

 **Anyways, question and answers.**

 **Will there be Harem?**

 **\- Nope.**

 **Will Naruto be stronger than Whitebeard?**

 **\- Yes, eventually.**

 **Will there be a time skip?**

 **\- Next chapter is cannon.**

 **Is Naruto gonna train his powers?**

 **\- No, Naruto in this story has a lazy and laid back personality. Besides, I don't think that he is weak at all. Sure, he might be slow at time, but with his regeneration ability (This will be explained in the future chapters), not many people could beat him. He'll be like a zombie that always get back up after getting knock down.**

 **Will Erza have her magical armors in this story?**

 **\- yes, lol.**

 **And that's all the questions I got. Hopefully, some answered yours.**

 **As for cannon. I am going to be changing it slightly. So that it won't be copy and paste.**

 **See you next time.**


	7. Chapter 7: Eisenwald's greatest scheme!

(Two years later)

Naruto stared at the mission board with a bored expression on his face. Lately, his guild had been thrown into chaos for reason unknown to him. He couldn't help but think back to when he heard about Natsu's incident at Hargeon. The pink haired Dragon Slayer went to look for his dragon father and as always, he got into a fight and destroyed half of the port. Seriously though, the brat doesn't know how to hold back. Oh, and don't forget about Gray and his stripping habits… And Elfman's talk about manliness, _shudders_.

Naruto scratched his head as his eyes skimmed through the mission board. An annoyed expression appeared on his face when he noticed the lack of D rank missions. Damn that Romeo brat. The boy literally stole his jobs! And here he thought that he was the only one doing these housework missions.

Looking around, he noticed the rowdiness of the guild. It seemed like Erza was out on a mission again… Naruto sighed. There was pretty much nothing for him to do today. Maybe he should go on a vacation? Even though he already went, last week… Well, what could possibly go wrong? He wasn't the reliable type of guy, and it wasn't like the guild was going to war.

The blonde slung his backpack over his shoulder. He turned towards Mirajane, who was standing behind the bar and frowned. The white haired woman had changed a lot since one of her siblings passed away… It was a sad day for Fairy Tail.

"Oi, Mira!" Naruto called out, catching her attention, "I'm going on holiday, tell the old man for me!" And with that said, he walked out without a care in the world.

A drop of sweat beads down the nearby eavesdroppers' head.

"He's going on a vacation again?" Nab Lasaro muttered as he watched his blonde board buddy strolled out of the guild.

"Heh, that bastard got it lucky. I don't get why Erza doesn't raise her hands against him," Wakaba commented as he popped a cigarette into his mouth.

"Still as lazy as ever…," Macao added before taking a sip of his beer.

Mirajane couldn't help but giggle as she watched the ongoing scene.

It seemed like Fairy Tail was still as lively as ever.

XXXX

(Two days after Naruto's departure)

Lucy Heartfilia groaned for the hundredth time as she slopped herself down onto the nearby table of Fairy Tail. It has already been a week since she joined, and life here was hell for her.

Natsu, the self-proclaim leader of Team Natsu dragged her across town, he even had the gall to break into her newly rented house and laid on her bed with that damn cat as if it was a daily basis. Lucy exhaled and smiled.

It wasn't like she hated it… In fact, she was enjoying life here. Hell, she even got a new key on a mission! Virgo!

…

Though, it was a gorilla maid…

Lucy slumped back down the table. Fairy Tail wasn't what she had expected at all, the mages were rowdy and alive, it was as if everybody treated each other like family. Now that thought made her smile in glee.

Suddenly, an unknown weight hit her back, making her crashed to the floor, destroying the table in the process.

"N-Natsu… Get off me!" The young Heartfilia growled under her breath as she struggled to breathe. She peered over the see Gray standing tall, smirking at his fallen pink haired comrade in victory, "What the hell, Gray…?"

The boxer wearing mage smiled smugly, "He picked a fight that he cannot win, it was his own fault,"

A vein popped on Lucy's forehead. Seriously, these guys…

With all her might, the blonde haired girl threw the groaning Dragon Slayer off her back, she watched as Natsu picked himself up and began headbutting the Ice mage. Muttering something about who provoked who first.

Lucy sighed. Her eyes glided towards the side to see Mirajane smiling at her with an apologetic look. Being the polite girl she was, Lucy smiled back. She was surprised to see Mirajane up close when she first joined. It was like a dream come true to be able to meet her role model.

Suddenly, the atmosphere of the guild darkened. All the members who were chatting happily were now dead silent as the night. Lucy immediately looked around, her brown eyes landed on Natsu and Gray, who were now standing up straight as sweat began to pour down their head… What in the world?

Her ears twitched slightly when the sound of whispering was heard.

"T-This feeling…," Wakaba muttered under his breath, his cigarette dropped from his mouth unconsciously.

Macao Conbolt, who was standing next to his friend swallowed. Hopefully, _she_ doesn't know about the incident on Mt. Hakobe…

"It's Erza," Cana, the woman in a bikini top muttered as she wiped the alcohol from her mouth, she needed to hide these alcohol barrels fast!

Hearing the name, Lucy asked aloud, "Erza?"

She had heard that name while coming back from a mission with Natsu and Gray… The way the two rivals described her sounded scary.

Out of nowhere, Loke suddenly burst through the guild's door, "Everyone, we got trouble!" His face darkened, "Erza's back…," He declared under his breath, somewhat dramatically.

…

Many deadpan looks were thrown in his way, making him sweat a drop. Oh, it seemed like he wasn't needed…

 **Thud**

The sound of heavy footsteps made many members swallow down their saliva. Their breath was lost in their throat as the footsteps got louder and the guild began to shake slightly. Cold sweat began to fall down Lucy's forehead. Just what kind of monster was this Erza person…

All her expectations were thrown out of the window when a beautiful red haired woman in armor entered the guild's building. Lucy couldn't help but watch on in awe at the gigantic horn on her shoulder.

"S-She's beautiful…," She muttered aloud.

Mirajane, who was now stood by her side smiled, "Yes. Though, I think it'd be correct to call her the strongest female mage in all Fairy Tail right now,"

That statement made Lucy nod with nervousness. Her attention was brought back when the red haired mage slammed the gigantic horn against the ground, making it shake for a brief moment. Some of the members fell on their asses as they tried to keep their balance. What a monstrous show of strength.

"I have returned," The armored woman looked around, "Is master here?" She asked. No, more like demanded.

The Fairy Tail mages unconsciously took a step back. Erza had become a lot more serious when she had found out that Lisanna passed away. She blamed herself due to frustration and once again, thrown herself into an unimaginable training routine.

Seeing that almost everybody was about to wet their pants. Mirajane decided to step in.

"Welcome back, Master is at the regular meeting," The white haired barmaid smiled brightly, and for some reason. The guild's atmosphere brightened up a little bit.

"I see," Erza said before gazing around the room, looking at everyone's face, "It seemed like all of you are behaving well,"

Mirajane giggled as her childhood friend failed to notice the forced smile and sweat on everybody's face. Something just doesn't seem to change… She raised an eyebrow as she noticed the redhead looked around, probably trying to locate a certain whiskered blonde.

"He's on a vacation right now," Mirajane added, making her fellow S class mage frown.

"I see…,"

Vacation? Was Naruto on vacation again? He went on one just last week… Well, since he wasn't here, maybe she could ask Natsu and Gray? She turned her attention towards the said dual and glared.

"Natsu, Gray," Erza called, her voice was sharp as a blade.

Lucy couldn't help but notice how the two rival quickly hooked arms around each other's neck.

"H-Hey, Erza. The both of us are getting along great today as always!" Gay forced a nervous smile as he fists bumped the stuttering Dragon Slayer.

"A-Aye!"

Lucy's jaw went slack. Natsu was acting like Happy! She had never seen him acting like that before… Her attention was captured when Mirajane chuckled beside her.

"Natsu and Gray once challenged Erza to a fight and was beaten to a pulp," She informed their newest member with a bright smile on her face.

Lucy gulped, "Natsu and Gray, beaten? No way!" She shouted in a whisper.

The other mages who were standing nearby gave her a nervous smile, telling her that it was true. Sweat bead down Lucy's forehead. What a dangerous person.

Their conversation was cut short when Erza made her way towards them, her brown eyes were focused on the two rival.

"You two, I have a favour to ask,"

The whole guild went quiet. All heads were turned towards her with an utter shock expression. Did Erza just ask a favour? Some random mage went outside to check if the sky was falling.

Seeing that the two were listening, Erza continued, "On my way back from my mission, I heard a troubling story that sounded suspicious," Her eyes bored into theirs, "Though, this is something for the master to decide, but I want to settle it quickly as soon as possible so I decided myself, "

She paused.

"Natsu, Gray. I want the two of you to lend me your power, will you come with me?"

The whole guild went dead. The two teens slowly looked at each other, thinking the exact same thing.

" _Working together… With him?"_

Not waiting for a reply, Erza quickly added, "We're leaving tomorrow morning, prepare yourself until then,"

Lucy watched from the side. Wow, for some reason, that felt intense… Her eyes gazed at her side to see Mirajane looking at the three in awe.

"Erza, Natsu, and Gray… I've never imagined it before, but this might be Fairy Tail's strongest team yet!"

Fairy Tail's… Strongest team? What, since when?

Lucy was taken by surprise when the white haired barmaid placed her hand on her shoulder out of the blue.

"Lucy, I'm counting on you!"

…

Eh?

XXXX

(Location, Clover Town)

Naruto stared at the cabin before him. He hadn't visit Rayleigh for quite sometimes now, he wondered what the old pirate was up to… Mah, probably the same old.

Knocking on the door three times, he waited for minutes until the owner of the cabin decided to open it. A deadpan look appeared on his whiskered face as he saw Rayleigh came into view.

The old man's hair was messy as if he had fallen from the sky. The clothes on his body were wrinkly as if it hadn't been ironed in ages. And most of all. The old pirate looked stoned as hell.

"Hungover?" The blonde asked, and surprisingly. The elderly man nodded. Not even bothered to ask why he was here.

Seeing this, Naruto couldn't help but smirk. He reached into his bag and pulled out a massive bottle of alcohol.

"Care for another booze?"

Rayleigh stood still for a moment before bursting out into laughter. Oh, how could he possibly say no to free alcohol…

XXXX

Magnolia's train station was rather peaceful in the morning, Lucy thought. The air around her was so fresh that it made her melt into the bench that she was sitting on. The celestial mage looked around, her face softened when she noticed that the sky was clear as ice. Hmm, what a lovely day. Though, her enjoyment was cut short by the two mages before her.

"Why do I have to be stuck with you?" Natsu Dragneel growled under his breath as he glared heatedly at the dark haired teen in front of him.

Gray, who was doing the same thing shot back, "Hey, that's my line! If Erza wanted help, then I can handle it by myself!"

The two brought their faces closer towards each other, and rivalry sparks ignited from their eyes.

"Then go by yourself! I didn't even want to come!"

Gray clenched his jaw, "Then stay at home, I'm sure Erza will drag your ass back here again anyway!"

Natsu jerked back a little as he heard this. He remembered what happened when he disobeyed Erza… It was hell…

Seeing the pink haired teen's expression. Gray smirked in victory and began to boast. At this point, Lucy wasn't even listening anymore. She sighed and peeked at the blue cat who was chewing on a fish right next to her.

"Do you want some?" Happy asked happily, holding the already bitten fish in his little paw.

The blonde haired girl grimaced, "Uh, no thanks…,"

"Good! I wasn't planning on sharing anyway, aye!" The exceed chirped.

For some unknown reason, a vein popped on Lucy's forehead, _"This damn cat!"_

Well, there was no point trying to argue with cat anyways. The Heartfilia gazed around as she noticed that the bystanders were staring at her two bickering guildmates. Sitting back into the bench, Lucy tried her best to stay in silence.

"Pretend I don't know them, pretend I don't know them," She chanted quietly to herself.

"Why're you here, Lucy?" Happy questioned with his mouthful of fish. His eyes gazed at the sky without a care in the world.

Lucy didn't know why, but she answered anyway, "Because Mira-san made me," She mumbled dejectedly. There was no way she could say no to the kind barmaid, "She said that I should stop these two from fighting when Erza-san isn't looking…,"

The blue cat looked down at the two, "You're not doing a very good job-,"

"Quiet you," She hissed, stopping the cat from finishing his sentence.

Suddenly, a voice that sounded calm and collecting echoed through the four's ears.

"I apologise for my lateness. Have you been waiting long?"

Lucy quickly turned her head towards the voice, and in a flash, both Natsu and Gray hooked arms around each other as if they were the best buddy of all times.

"Erza-san!" Yelled the blonde teenage girl with delight, apparently tired of her two friends' bickering. Though said delight turned into shock as she noticed the massive luggage behind the armored woman.

"Th-That's a lot of stuff," She hitched backward as she gasped.

Lucy's attention was taken away from the redhead when both Natsu and Gray cried out more happy than usual.

"Let's get along together today like always!" The two teens exclaimed loudly, arms around each other's neck as they began dancing up and down. Though, the Heartfilia could still see the nervousness on their faces.

"Aye, sir!" Natsu followed.

Erza smiled, "Yes, the two of you getting along like this is the best," She mumbled to herself. Her eyes slowly glided towards the blonde newcomer and her brow was raised slightly, "And who might you be? I believe you were at Fairy Tail yesterday,"

Lucy's back straightened, "I-I'm the new recruit, Lucy! Mira-san asked that I came along with you. Thanks for having me!" She informed with nervousness.

Seeing this, Erza smiled lightly, "I am Erza. It is a pleasure to have you on board," She glanced over her armored shoulder to see if Natsu and Gray were fighting and surprisingly, they weren't. A thoughtful look appeared on her face as she remembered the name, "Oh, I see. So _you're_ Lucy?"

The blonde haired teenage girl's body stiffened, was she that popular?

Seeing the questioning look on the other female's face, Erza continued.

"You're the one who defeated the guerrilla mercenaries with just one finger, correct?" Lucy jerked back in surprise. Wh-What? "You have my thanks for offering to help. I will be counting on you,"

Sweat began to bead down her head, that was a complete misunderstanding! Despite the tension she was feeling, the Celestial mage smiled.

"N-No problem…,"

Their conversation was cut short when Natsu kicked the Ice mage off his back.

"Erza!" The two turned towards him.

Gray, who seemed to have regained his balance hissed harshly at the pink haired Dragon Slayer, "O-Oi!" He knew where this was going.

Natsu ignored his rival and looked straight into the red haired woman's eyes, "I have one condition for coming along,"

Erza raised one of her eyebrows, "And that is?"

The Dragon Slayer smirked, his fist tightened to a degree, "When we get back, fight me!"

Lucy hitched back in surprise. Fight? But why?

Gray placed his hand on the scarfed teen's shoulder with a worried scowl, "Hey, Natsu. Think it over," He hissed, "Do you have a death wish or something?"

The pink haired teen did not waver, but instead, he felt more pumped up than usual, "I won't lose like last time, I'm good enough to beat you now!" He exclaimed.

Erza stared with a neutral expression, a small smile crept onto her face as her brown eyes bored into his.

"Is that so? If you're that confident then fine," Her eyes sharpened, "I will take you on,"

Both Gray and Lucy watched from the side as their friend stared at each other with tension. The Ice mage didn't want to get involve and decided to keep quiet, but Lucy on the other hand. She was slightly worried about Natsu's wellbeing.

"I wonder if those two will be alright…,"

Too bad for them, the train had already arrived.

XXXX

Kageyama, a proud dark mage of Eisenwald sat silently by himself, fidgeting with the death flute in his hands. Nervousness rolled off him as he felt the train came to a stop. His palms were sweaty and his heart was pounding with uneasiness.

In his hand was Lullaby. A flute that put a death curse on anyone who hears its melody except for the caster. Yes, with this flute, Eisenwald will finally have their revenge, but first. He needed to meet up with his guildmates-

"Ah, man. Why do we have to take the train!"

Kageyama's dark eyes flickered towards the three newcomers that entered the train's room. His face became frozen as he noticed the logo on their bodies.

Fairy Tail mages.

The spiky ponytail haired man quickly dug the death flute into his high collared shirt's pocket. This was not good! Not good at all! He tried his best to keep his presence in the shadow and quietly listen to their conversation. He wasn't going to let these flies get in Eisenwald's way.

To his annoyance and fear. It turned out that the Fairy Tail mages were suspicious of what they were up to. The redhead in armor explained the info to her friends, and apparently, she heard the conversation he had with his guildmates at a random bar. Kageyama cursed himself. How careless of him.

Clenching his fists and gritting his teeth, the dark mage waited for the train to stop. Hopefully, the flies get off at the next station or else…

XXXX

Natsu Dragneel groaned in pain as he clutched his stomach, trying not to vomit everywhere. Damn those guys. They left the train without him! How could they possibly do that? He fought back another wave of vomit. The Dragon Slayer blamed it all on Erza, if it wasn't for her knocking him out then…

His body stiffened in a foot came out of nowhere and stomped him in the face. Natsu crossed his arms and glared as best as he could at the possible enemy. What was this guy's problem?

Kageyama couldn't help himself, seeing a Fairy Tail mage being left by his peers triggered his inner core. He wanted to show dominance over these delusional fools on how the world works. A sneer formed on his face as he looked down at the pink haired mage with nothing but smugness.

"Yo~, Fairy. Feeling lost?"

Natsu growled. This bastard, this bastard was looking for a fight!

"Get off me!" He roared as flames exploded from his body. Breaking the windows and burning the chairs around him.

Kageyama grunted in surprise as he leaped back, he flinched in pain as he felt the heat on his forearms. This pink haired bastard was not normal. Looking back at the said bastard, a confused frown appeared on his face when he noticed that his opponent was on his knees, holding his stomach with pain.

Natsu cursed his motion sickness. He peered up at the spiky pony tailed man with a grunt.

"Heh, that's it? Is that all you got?" Kageyama smirked. Oh, this felt good, "Let me show you how it's done,"

The Dragon Slayer watched as a magic circle appeared underneath of his opponent's feet. He jerked back slightly when four fists made of shadow spurt from the ground and struck him in the face, making him sprawl backward.

Kageyama laughed. What a weakling! This was way too easy-

His eyes widened when the train suddenly stopped, his balance was lost and before he knew it, he was face flat against the train's wooden floor. The dark haired man struggled to look up, a shock expression made its way onto his face as he noticed the death flute on the ground.

"Huh, what's this?" Natsu muttered as he picked himself up, staring at the item by his feet.

Kageyama growled, "You, don't touch that!"

The pink haired teen jumped out of the way when a shadow shaped fist raised from the ground. It grazed his chin before quickly snatching the death flute and returning it to the owner.

Natsu glowered. Flames erupted from his hand, making the Eisenwald mage step back a few feet.

"You bastard! I'll make you pay!" He rushed forward and hurled his flaming fist.

Kageyama panicked, he brought up his arms to defend himself.

" **Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!** "

" **Guard Shadow!** "

Fire met shadow, causing a massive explosion to engulf the two. The ceiling of the train flew off as well as some of the walls. As the smoke started to die down, Natsu smirked in victory when he spotted his opponent on the ground, sitting on his ass.

Kageyama snarled, he was unharmed, but that power was something else. The force of the impact sent him flying backward, and it was a huge blow to his pride.

"Tch, damn you…," He hissed under his breath.

Natsu did his usual victory pose, "Heh, that's what you get!"

The shadow mage slowly got up to his feet, planning his next move carefully. If he wanted to win then he must keep his distance…

Suddenly, an announcement was made.

'Dear passengers, that emergency stop was a false alarm. We will be departing shortly'

And so, the train began to move.

Natsu panicked before snatching his belongings from the train's shelf. He needed to get out of this place before he starts vomiting again.

Seeing this action, Kageyama snarled, "Wait right there, you bastard! I won't let you get away, Eisenwald will hunt you down!"

The pink haired Dragon Slayer's eyes narrowed, "So you're one of those Eisenwald guys? Heh, you're pretty weak for a dark mage,"

"Why you…,"

Their conversation was sliced in half when a feminine voice yelled from outside the train.

"Natsu!"

The two's head turned to the side, staring out the window and saw a magic driven four wheeler being controlled by a redhead. Gray was clutching onto the ceiling while Lucy was inside, poking her head out.

A smile beamed on Natsu's face. An escape route! He wasted no time and dashed towards the window, breaking through the glass.

Gray widened his eyes when his rival flew down from the train. He could do nothing but watch as the Dragon Slayer came closer and crashed against him. His grip on the wheeler loosened, making the two sprawl across the floor.

"That hurt, you moron!" The Ice mage growled and hurled the pink haired teen off his back.

Natsu massaged his face, "I should be the one saying that!"

"Natsu, are you alright?"

The teens turned their attention towards Erza, who had stopped the wheeler along with Lucy and Happy in tow. A worried frown on her face.

The Dragon Slayer sat up, "Yeah-," Then, a sudden memory hit him in the face, "Hey! You guys left me behind!" He yelled.

Erza closed her eyes in shame, "That we did, but at least you are unhurt,"

"What do you mean, unhurt? I got into a fight with some weird guy on the train!" He growled, somewhat irked.

Lucy threw him a questioning look, "Some weird guy?"

Natsu looked at her, "Yeah, he said he was part of Eisenwald-," The pink haired teen did not get to finish his sentence when an armored hand snatched his collar.

"You idiot!" Erza headbutted him angrily, "Eisenwald are the people we're after! How could you let him escape from under your nose?!"

Lucy and Gray watched from the side with pity. Poor guy…

"What? This is the first time I heard about it…," Natsu mumbled, looking up at the stronger woman while massaging his forehead.

Erza growled, "I explained that just a moment ago! Listen to people when they're talking to you!"

Igneel's son trembled in fear, "A-Aye!"

The armored woman sighed, "He was on the train, right?" Natsu nodded, making her turn towards her other two companions, "Come on, let's go. We'll go after him immediately!"

Gray watched as the redhead started the wheeler. He looked towards his rival and asked.

"So, what was he like? The guy you fought, I mean,"

Natsu looked up in thought, "Nothing stood out for me, really…," Then he remembered something, "Oh, yeah! He had this flute shaped like a skull. It was a skull with three eyes though…,"

Lucy, who stood beside him asked aloud, "A three eyed skull?"

"Man, that's some bad taste right there," Gray commented.

But it didn't end there. Happy noticed the look on his blonde friend's face and asked with worry.

"Lucy, what's the matter?"

The teenage girl's expression did not change, "A skull shaped flute. I think I know about it," Her brown eyes wavered, "It's Lullaby, the song of curse, the Magic of death!"

Seeing her guildmates' confused face, Lucy continued.

"I've only read about them in books, but one of the forbidden magics is the curse of death, right?" She threw a glance towards Erza, whose eyes were staring her sharply.

"Right. A black magic curse that saps the life out of the person it is cast upon," She looked towards the side, where the train had been.

Right now, they were dealing with something very dangerous. They needed to hurry before anything could happen.

XXXX

"Man, don't you ever tidy up?" Naruto muttered loudly as his eyes drifted around the cabin.

Rayleigh's house was as messy as ever. Empty bottles of alcohol laid lazily across the tables, unwashed dishes everywhere, and rubbish spread around the room. It was an unpleasant sight to see. The blonde turned to look at the elderly man with a deadpanned expression.

"Well now," Rayleigh chuckled. He usually hires a pretty maid to do the cleaning for him, but right now he was broke as a crackhead on the second day of the month.

"Wow, you write books?" Naruto asked out of the blue as he noticed the items on the tables.

The old pirate grinned, "Yes, are you interested?"

The blonde did not reply, but instead, he picked up a random book and read the title aloud.

"Tale of the Pirate King…," He looked at the older man, "You like pirates?"

"No, I used to be one. Though, our crew was disbanded when the captain passed away ," Rayleigh said with a faraway look in his eyes.

Naruto saw this and gazed down at the book in his hands. So, this was Rayleigh's tale and his adventures. A small smile formed on his whiskered face.

"Hey, Rayleigh," The blonde called, making the glasses man look at him, "You mind if I read this?"

Rayleigh just gave him a half hearted smile before strolling back inside his bedroom, probably going back to sleep. Deciding that the answer was no, Naruto wasted no time and sat himself down in the chair. The book looked very big, he wondered if it was completed yet, maybe It will give him something to do for the next months or so…

XXXX

Kageyama shrieked in fright as he jumped to the side, avoiding a massive scythe that was aiming for his head. The scythe slashed through the train's seat, making many of his guildmates go silent. He hesitated to look up, only to back up in fear as he saw the scythe wielding man's face. Erigor, the ace of Eisenwald was pissed.

"You fool! How could you let a fly from Fairy Tail see the Lullaby flute and get away without saying a thing? Huh?! Kageyama!" Yelled the shirtless man, Erigor. His face was an ugly twisted snarl filled with rage.

The spiky ponytail haired man was on his knee, trying to explain himself, "W-Wait! It's not like our plan is blown! And even if he did notice, it's not like anyone could stop us now, right?!"

Erigor did not listen. He growled and brought his scythe down at his comrade, nearly slicing Kageyama's dick off. Silence filled the running train before the silver haired mage spoke up.

"It is important that we take extra precautions," He muttered loudly, making his guildmates sweat, "We're going to put _that_ plan into action,"

The shadow mage gulped. The look in his leader's eyes scared the living hell out of him.

"Wh-What should we do?" He questioned with a quivering voice.

Erigor smirked.

"I want you lots to take care of the flies for me,"

XXXX

On a narrowed road of Oshibana Town, Gray grunted as he held onto the wheeler's roof, he peered down at the redhead who was driving the cart and cried out against the wind.

"Erza, you're going too fast! Even if it's you, the wheeler will drain all of your magic at this rate!"

Hearing this, Erza's eyes narrowed, "We don't have that kind of time! If Erigor gets his hand on that curse magic, then there's no telling what he'll do!" She yelled over her shoulder, her hair danced violently in the wind

Yes. Right now they were in a tight situation, they needed to get to the train station as soon as possible. There was no way she would let a great number of innocent people be killed by the flute. The redhead hissed when she felt her magic being drained away, this was not good.

The mages arrived at the station and noticed how packed the entrance was. Wasting no time, Erza hopped off the wheeler along with her guildmates. She wobbled slightly due to having low magic towards one of the guards.

"You there, what is the situation inside?" She asked, her facial expression was a serious death glare.

The guard jerked back with surprise and fear. He wavered here and there before asking aloud, "Wh-Who're you people-,"

The man was cut off by a strong punch to the stomach.

"Too slow!" The armored woman shouted. Her eyes flickered towards the side, where the other guard was standing, "What about you?"

Both Gray and Lucy sweatdropped, "I guess she doesn't have the use for people who don't answer promptly...," The blonde haired girl muttered.

"That's just how Erza is...," The Ice mage commented beside her, making her look at him.

"Where are your clothes?"

Gray looked down, "Oh,"

Their conversation was cut short when the said woman walked up to them, a serious frown on her face.

"Eisenwald's inside! Let's hurry!"

The half naked teen nodded, following the redhead like a faithful dog.

Lucy peeked at Natsu, who was still unconscious due to the motion sickness and sighed.

"So this one is my responsibility?"

Too bad for her because the two was already out of ear reach.

"Aye!" Came Happy's usual comment.

XXXX

Erza ran through the station's hall with her guildmates in tow. Her brown eyes flashed from side to side to see many army platoons everywhere, laying on the ground unconscious. Her brows furrowed in anger as she fastened her running pace.

Gray, who was running next to her growled loudly, "Damn, those Eisenwald. They don't hold back at all!"

"D-Do you think they're going to be alright?" Lucy shrieked behind them while holding Natsu's arm over her shoulder, she wasn't very good with this stuff.

"They were up against an entire guild. Every single one of them are mages... An army platoon doesn't stand a chance," Erza spoke, her voice was cold as ice.

Suddenly, a loud snicker echoed throughout the empty station hall as the Fairy Tail mages entered an open room. Their eyes were narrowed as they were greeted by a bunch of dark mages, each and everyone of them had a mischievous smirk on their faces.

"Heh, I knew you'd come, Fairy Tail flies!" Sneered the scythe wielding man who was sitting in the air above his lackeys.

The man was extremely tall, yet muscly. His silver hair was held pointing upwards in spiky strands on top of his head but hung down to the left of his face in a distinctive tuft. He wore a torn robe-like outfit which seemed to befit his role as the Shinigami. In his hand was a massive scythe that looked as if it could slice through your very soul.

All in all, the man gave out an aura of death. Lucy thought.

"So, you must be Erigor, I take it?" Erza's voice echoed through the room, gaining back her attention.

Now that Lucy thought about it, there were so many dark mages around, the three of them were completely out numbered. She quickly laid the unconscious Natsu down on the ground and began to shake him awake.

"Natsu! Come on, you got to help us!" She begged hastily.

Happy, who was standing beside her quipped, "No way Lucy. Trains, four wheelers, and you, it's too much for him,"

The blonde girl heard this but chose to ignore, she looked over at her other two guildmates with worry in her eyes. Will they be alright...?

Having enough of the stupid nonsense, Kageyama growled loudly, "You damn flies! It's your fault Erigor-san got angry at me...," He looked at the pink haired teen with hate.

Natsu's eyes flashed opened, that voice! He got up on his ass and glared at the man opposite him. The Dragon Slayer did not get to make a move when his red haired leader decided to speak up once more.

"What are you Eisenwald mages after? What do you plan to do with the Lullaby?" She demanded.

Erigor chuckled, a mischevious smirk on his face, "What, you don't know?" Suddenly, a strong wind in the room picked up and the Death God flew up high into the air, "What's here at the train station?"

Erza's eyes widened in realisation along with Lucy's while Gray stood his ground, "You were planning on broadcasting the Lullaby?!" The armored woman roared in rage.

Now that made Erigor burst into laughter, what fools! They actually believed it! Things were going to plan.

"Yes! I wonder how many thousands of onlookers are gathered around here?" He smirked, drinking the furious expression on the beautiful red haired maiden's face, "Hmm, and I wonder what would happen if you increase the volume, it will probably reverberate throughout the city!"

Erza was livid. This bastard! This bastard was planning on making innocent people listen to the flute's lullaby! She won't allow it! With a quick use of her magic, she summoned a sword out of thin air.

Lucy noticed this and widened her eyes. A magical sword?! She watched as the redhead leaped up into the air and brought her sword down at the scythe wielding man. And once again, a sudden gust of wind picked up around the room. Erza gasped loudly as she felt sharp wind pushed her back, making her fly into the walls.

"Erza!" The three shouted in shock, especially Natsu and Gray. They had never seen anything like that happened to her before.

Kageyama noticed this opening and slammed his palm against the ground. A magic circle appeared and three snake shaped shadows flew straight at Lucy, who wasn't paying attention.

" **Ice Make: Lance**!"

Gray shouted as he got in front of the blonde teenage girl. His palms were extended forward as ice spears shot from the magic circle in his hand. The two attacks collided against one another and exploded, making smoke covers half of the area.

Sweat began to bead down Lucy's forehead, that was close, "Th-Thanks, Gray,"

The shirtless teen did not turn towards her, "Thank me later, right now we're in serious danger,"

The blonde slowly nodded.

Erza got up to her feet, her legs trembled slightly as she tried to regain her balance. The four wheeler took away most of her magical energy, right now she was probably at her weakest. The redhead gritted her teeth, how could she be so careless?!

Looking up, her eyes widened as she noticed the wind surrounding Erigor, and before she knew it. The silver haired man disappeared. He escaped! Her eyes flashed towards her side where Natsu was standing, it seemed like the Dragon Slayer was ready for some ass kicking.

"Natsu!" The armored woman cried, causing him to look at her, "Go after Erigor, now!"

The pink haired teen didn't know what she meant, but the look on her face told him to go or else.

"R-Right! Leave it to me!" He yelled before snatching Happy's tail, "Let's go Happy!"

"Aye!"

And so he ran off into a random direction. Lucy sweat dropped. Does he even know where he was going?

Her attention was brought back when the smoke started to clear and the sound of magic being gathered rang through the room. Could it be? She took a step back as she saw the opposite side.

Many dark mages were preparing their magical energy to shoot projectile attacks at him. Lucy hitched back, she turned towards her two guildmates with worry and fear.

"G-Guys?"

Erza was breathing hard, sweat dripped down her chin as she looked on at sight before her. This was bad, right now there was nothing she could do in this situation, but wait for her magic to recharge. Peeking at Gray from the corner of her eyes, she saw that he was rather nervous, probably going through a brainstorm of what move he should pull.

"Gray," Her voice was firm, but the Ice mage could hear the shakiness, "I'm counting on you,"

...

Massive white beams shot forth from the magic circles in the mages' hand. Gray wasted no time and jumped in front of his comrades with both arms extended.

" **Ice Make: Shield!** "

Many giant pillars of ice shot up from the ground, blocking the incoming attacks. The shirtless teen grunted as he tried his best to hold up the ice, the projectile attacks were raining down on him nonstop. He was nearly at his limit. Glancing over his shoulder, Gray saw Erza closing her eyes, probably trying to gather her magic. He peeked over towards Lucy, the girl was skimming through her keys with a panicked look on her face.

The Ice mage screamed silently as the last attack struck the last remaining bits of his ice shield. He skidded back a couple feet before a firm hand stopped him in place. Gray glanced behind him, only to widened his eyes in astonishment.

Stood behind him was Erza Scarlet, but this time her armor had changed. She now wore a full body armor which was seemingly made out of silver metal, her scarlet hair was let loose, covering her right eye. There was also four metal wings spurting out of her back. Giving her an appearance of an angel.

Gray knew this armor. It was **Heaven's Wheel armor**.

But...

There was something off about it. Instead of the usual silver color plates, the whole armor was pitch black.

" **A-Armament Haki**?" The shirtless teen gasped aloud.

He had never seen her using it on her armor before... This meant Erza was serious.

Lucy was awestruck. Stood before her was the woman she once feared, but right now she couldn't care less. Erza looked so gorgeous in that black armor, she gave out the feeling of a dark angel.

"Gray, rest for now," Her voice was calm and collecting, but the Ice mage could hear the tiredness coming from it.

"No, I'll-,"

He was quickly silenced by her death glare.

...

The Eisnewald mages smirked to themselves as they stared at the cloud of smoke in front of them. There was no way the flies could have survived that frenzy of magic attack. And even if they did, there was no way the insects could win since they were outnumbered. As the smoke died down, the mages took a step back in fear as their eyes widened in surprise.

Floating in the air were swords covered in black armor. The blades were pointing towards them as if they were being controlled. The Eisenwald mages' eyes darted down towards the redhead who tried to attack Erigor. Her armor had changed drastically. The men couldn't help but be capitative by the sight. It wasn't everyday they get to see a beautiful maiden wearing skimpy armor.

Erza's eyes narrowed. She needed to finish this a soon as possible since her magic was running low. With a burst of magic, she muttered under her breath.

"Dance, my blades,"

Gray and Lucy watched with wide eyes as the swords flew straight down at their enemies, piercing through the ground and flesh. Many screams of agony echoed throughout the room for a brief moment before it died down.

Sweat bead down Lucy's forehead as she took at step back in fear. Gray noticed this and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Erza doesn't really know how to hold back...," He whispered into her ear.

The Heartfilia gulped, "D-Do you think they're still alive?"

The Ice mage deadpanned, "Hopefully," Honestly, he doesn't really know...

A loud thud smacked their ears, making them turn towards the sound. Erza was on her knees breathing hard, her face was filled with pain and sweat.

"Erza!" The two shouted in unison.

The redhead held up her hand, stopping them from rushing to her aid. Picking herself up, she looked towards where Natsu had run off to.

"We need to hurry and catch up with Natsu," She muttered, the shakiness in her voice was clear as day.

Gray growled in anger, "No, you need to rest, Erza. You've been using way too much magic, the four wheeler and now this," He placed his hand on her shoulder. "You'll be knocked out by the end of today!"

He hitched when she swatted his hand away. The armored woman was now glaring at him, "We don't have such time, Gray!" She yelled, her hands were trembling in anger, "If we don't act quickly, who knows what chaos Erigor will create...,"

Gray clicked his tongue as he looked down. Erza was correct, if they don't hurry then who knows what will happen...

"G-Guys, watch out!" Lucy screamed, cutting the two mages out of their thoughts when black bandages spurt out of the ground, flying straight towards them.

The blonde Celestial mage watched in horror as her two comrades were trapped in place, unable to move.

"W-What the hell," Gray grunted loudly, trying to escape the bandages' hold.

Erza's eyes narrowed tiredly, a survivor?

Before the two knew it. They were lifted off their feet and was swung against the hard wall, so hard that dust engulfed them as some of the rubble flew down. Lucy wasted no time and rushed to their aids. Erza was holding her shoulder, clearly in pain and blood was ticking down her head. Gray wasn't baring any better, his skin was scraped to pieces due to him being naked. The Ice mage gritted his teeth as he tried to get up on his knees.

"H-Hang on, I'll find a way-,"

The blonde was cut off when Gray roared.

"Lucy, behind you!"

Turning around, she was met with last remaining of Eisenwald's horde. The man stood tall with a smirk on his face, there were black bandages circling all of his fingers. The hooded jacket on his body was a mix of yellow and black at the top, making him look like an Egyptian pharaoh.

The man cracked with laughter, "Do you honestly think that I, Rayure will go down with such an obvious attack?!"

Lucy stood up, she glared heatedly at the dark mage before her. Her friends did their part in protecting her, now it was the time she did hers. She won't let them be harmed anymore!

" **Gate of the Giant Crab, I open thee! Cancer!** "

Lights appeared in front of her as the summon began to form, revealing a sunglasses wearing man with six crab legs attached to his back. In his hands were scissors which he seemed to be very fond off. The man gave out a weird vibe, Gray thought.

"Another fight-ebi?" Cancer, the crab man asked his summoner.

Lucy nodded, pointed towards her enemy and grinned, "Beat him with style, Cancer!"

Rayure was dumbfounded. Stood before him was a weird crab man with scissors, his opponent looked... Stupid. His eyes darted to the side where he had sent the two mages flying to. A smirk formed on his face.

There was no way the redhead could get up for another round in that condition, and the naked Ice mage looked complete warn out. He turned to look at the blonde girl. Rayure could tell, she wasn't the combat type. He chuckled, this was going to be easy!

With a quick use of his **Urumi** , he sent the bandages from his finger towards the blonde haired girl, only to be taken back in shock as the crab man snipped and sliced them into shreds with his scissors.

"W-What?!" He muttered in utter disbelief.

Lucy's grin widened, "Way to go, Cancer!" She cheered.

Cancer nodded, "Ebi,"

Seeing the look on her opponent's face, she couldn't help smirking. This was good, the Egyptian pharaoh was in a complete shock! The blonde was cut out of her celebration when the man growled and dove his bandages into the ground.

"You won't be able to do anything now!" He grinned wickedly.

Lucy stared with wide eyes as she watched the bandages slipping into the ground, it was as if the black bands were trying to dig a tunnel... Suddenly, said black bands shot from the ground behind her. Lucy didn't have time to dodge and was frozen in place. Cancer was too far away from her to do a thing.

" **Ice Make: Sword!** "

Gray roared as he appeared before her, slashing away the bandages with his ice sword. Peering over his shoulder, the shirtless teen yelled with all his might.

"Erza, now!"

In an instant, Rayure was punched by an **Armament Haki** covered fist. Tooth and blood were sent flying as the owner fell off his feet and skidded across the ground. Erza stood tall, her fist extended as blood dripped down her chin. She looked on at the injured dark mage and snarled.

"Tell me, what are you people really after? You're obviously not planning on playing the lullaby over the loud speakers," She demanded.

Rayure wiped the blood from his mouth. He glared back at his three opponents who were now standing and ready to fight. The man chuckled.

"What? You still don't get it?" Seeing the confused look on the three's face, the Egyptian pharaoh continued with a smirk, "Erigor's magic wind wall should be in place by now,"

Gray's eyes narrowed along with Lucy's, "Magic wind wall?" He muttered.

Rayrue grinned, "A barrier of wind so that none of you idiots can escape from here!"

Having enough of his rambling, Erza picked him up by the collar. A fierce look on her face

"I've had enough of your riddles. Explain what's going on, now!"

The **Urumi** user hitched back slightly when a blade was pressed onto his neck, "We just made a cage to trap you flies is all. We were only taking over this station to block the route to the end of the line. Clover station," He said, a nervous smirk on his face.

"What?" Gray and Lucy muttered.

"Clover station is across a giant gorge. There's no way to get there except this route. Unless you can fly like Erigor-san, that is!" Rayrue crackled excitedly, he was really proud with explaining his guild's plan.

Erza growled, "So that's where you're going to use Lullaby?!" Her eyes flashed in anger.

The dark mage looked at her with a sinister grin, "Youn know what's at Clover station? try and recall...,"

All three of them widened their eyes in realisation. Clover.. That was where the guild masters were having their regular meeting! Gray clenched his fists, so their objectives were the guild masters?

Noticing the look on his opponent's faces, Rayrue laughed, "So you've finally noticed? A bit slow on the uptake are we? It'll be a piece of cake to make those unsuspecting codgers listen to the flute! I know Erigor-san will be able to do it! And you pests won't stop us! You can't leave this station! No one can stop us now! We're going to get our revenge on those people who oppressed us! We'll wipe them all out!"

Feeling the Titania's grip loosen, the black bands on his finger flared into life.

"An opening!" The dark mage smirked.

...

A strong uppercut coated in **Armament Haki** struck his jaw, shattering it to pieces. Both Gray and Lucy winced slightly as they watched Rayrue flew up into the air, arms and legs flying wildly before hitting the ground with a loud crack.

"I-Is he alive?" The blonde murmured, Cancer nodded by her side.

Gray swallowed his saliva, "Remind me not to get on her bad side,"

Erza turned to face the two, her eyes were sharp as a blade.

"We need to find Natsu, fast!"

They needed to get out of here as soon as possible.

* * *

 **Finished.**

 **I hoped you enjoyed it. Though, I wasn't sure if you liked it, but as you can see. I have changed the cannon a little bit. Please do tell if you find it boring, or maybe you could suggest some ideas.**

 **Naruto didn't really do much in this chapter, but this was just the first part of Lullaby. :p**

 **Now then, for questions and answers.**

 **Will Naruto be having Haki?**

 **\- We shall see.**

 **Will you do a crossover with One Piece?**

 **\- Nope.**

 **Naruto came from Elemental Nation?!**

 **\- Yes, it will be explained in the future chapters.**

 **Will Naruto return to Elemental Nations?**

 **\- We shall see.**

 **Can Naruto use magic?**

 **\- No, but he still got his chakra.**

 **That was all the questions I got.**

 **See you next time.**


	8. Chapter 8: The flying tree of fate

Erza's hand trembled slightly as she tried her best to control the four wheeler. Her vision was getting cloudy and they were nowhere near Clover Town.

The four of them had managed to defeat the remaining mages and escaped from Oshibana's station. To their surprise, Kageyama, the man who fought Natsu on the train was backstabbed by his own comrades. Apparently, the Shadow user has the magical ability to dispel any type of cast magic, and that was a threat to Erigor's plan, which he could use it to dispel the magic wind wall that the Death God created.

He was left to die by himself, but they managed to stop the bleeding and now he was seated back in the four-wheeler along with Lucy and Gray. Erza's fists clenched the wheeler's odd steering wheel. Right now they were on the train track in the middle of a giant gorge. Natsu and Happy had flown off by themselves to catch up with Erigor.

The armored mage wanted to know if they were alright, especially fighting someone who was using Wind magic... Natsu's flames wouldn't do a thing.

No... She must have faith in her comrades, that was what Naruto would have done...

 _"Natsu,"_ Her eyes narrowed as she sped up the wheeler's pace, draining her magic along the way.

It was a give and take.

XXXX

"Damn it...," Natsu growled under his breath, bracing himself as the wind danced around the area like a typhoon. He looked up at his opponent who was now covered by an armor of wind.

" **Storm Mail** ,"

Erigor spoke with the voice of a Demon Lord. The wind around him blew off in all directions, blowing away many small objects with ease. Looking down at his pink haired enemy, the Death God couldn't help but smirk.

"Do you understand now? Your flames can never beat wind!" He sneered, extending his hand forward and a magic circle appeared, "Eat this!"

" **Storm Shred!** "

Many small wind blades flew from Erigor's hand, straight at the Fairy Tail mage. Natsu didn't back down nor did he dodge. He covered his fists in flames and the element spun around his fists with rage.

"Bring it on, bastard!" The pink haired teen roared.

He kicked the ground and leaped straight forward into the incoming attack. His skin was shredded and blood was spilled. The wind blades kept on coming onto him but he did not budge.

Erigor smirked as he stayed in the air, it seemed like the brat still doesn't get it. He raised on of his brows as he noticed the teen jumped high into the air, flames were rocketing from his feet, giving him a speed boost.

"Take this!" Natsu cried.

" **Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!** "

Fire coated fist met the wind armor. The young Dragon Slayer gasped in surprise when his flames were extinguished into nothing.

"Do you get it now?" Erigor muttered, somewhat bored.

With a burst of magic, he pushed the pink haired teen backward, making him fly down and crashed to the ground.

Natsu grunted in pain as he skidded against the train's track, the ground's texture was rocky and it scraped into his back and shoulder.

"Natsu!" Happy cried in worry. He couldn't help since he used up all of his magic.

Getting up on his knee, the Fire Dragon Slayer gritted his teeth.

"Damn you...," He growled, anger and frustration were now building up inside him.

Happy and Erigor both watched as flames began to cover the teen's body and shot up high into the air like an inferno.

"Damn you, Erigor!" He roared.

The Death God's eyes widened when he felt his wind began to fly in a strange direction. No... It was flying towards the brat! His **Storm Mail** was being sucked away! The super-heated air around the fly moved upward fast, so fast that it created an area of low air pressure.

"I'll show you!"

He was cut out of his musing when his opponent cried, the flames around his body were now shooting up twice the size. His **Storm Mail** was now dissolved into nothing.

" **Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!** "

Still covered in flames, Natsu sprang forward like lighting and body tackled the unguarded Erigor. Air was knocked out of the Wind mage's stomach as he felt his skin being burnt to a crisp.

 _"Such an incredible super-heated magic. Could this brat actually be... Fairy Tail's Salamander?"_ That was the only thing that came into Erigor's mind before he was flown backward as crashed into the nearby rocks in the deserted gorge. Breaking his bones along the way.

XXXX

"Natsu!" Lucy shouted from the inside the four wheeler, her head was sticking out the window as she watched the bloodied Dragon Slayer came into view.

Hearing his name being called. Natsu peeked over his shoulder and a bright grin appeared on his face.

"Oh, you guys are late! The fight's already over!" He yelled, waving his arms left to right.

"Aye!" Happy chirped from his side.

Erza stopped the wheeler, a tired smile on her face a she looked at him.

"Yes, as expected from you," She said with fondness.

Gray stepped out of the vehicle and clicked his tongue loudly, "Tch, I could have done that,"

"Erza, are you okay?" Lucy rushed to Erza's aid with a worried frown on her face when she noticed the redhead staggered slight while getting out off the driver's seat.

"Yes, don't worry about me," The armored woman thanked.

Kageyama, who was covered in bandages stared with wide eyes at the scene before him. Laying on the ground unconscious was Erigor, his body was burnt and smoke could be seen coming from it. The Shadow user gritted his teeth.

Eisenwald had lost. Their strongest member was defeated...

Suddenly something caught his eyes. Looking down, the black haired man gaped like a fish.

Lullaby! It was by his feet. Erigor must have dropped it. Kageyama smirked in glee as his magic flare into life. And so, the dark mage quickly snatched the four wheeler along with the death flute with his magic while the Fairy Tail mages were bantering.

They weren't finished yet!

XXXX

"What the hell! And we even saved him!" Lucy yelled into the air as she and her comrades were running through the thick mountain area just outside of Clover Town.

Right now they were very close to the conference hall where the guild masters were having their regular meetings.

"There he is!" Gray muttered shamelessly while completely naked, making Lucy bury her face into her hands, trying to unsee the image she just witnessed.

Right now Kageyama was standing on the hill above the conference hall with Lullaby in his hands. If they looked closely, the four of the could see a midget wearing orange clothes standing next to him as well.

"The old man's with him!" Natsu shouted, he was ready to rush at the two at any moments.

Suddenly, an elderly, bald, cross-dressing man with a purple spaghetti-shirt appeared out of nowhere, jamming his face in front the two teen.

"Shh! The best part is ye to come. Just watch!" The bald man shushed at the two.

Natsu, Gray, and Lucy jerked back in surprise. Who and where did this guy came from! The three backed away and cringed as the man started to talk in a flirtatious manner to the two male mages.

"By the way, you're all so cute! Especially you, clothless young man. Totally my type!"

Gray barfed.

In a flash, Lucy disappeared in a sonic boom and hid behind Erza. Her face was full of fear as she saw the bald man wiggled closer towards her two friends.

"W-Who the hell is that?!" She hissed to the armored woman, who looked at her with a sweatdrop.

"That's Master Bob," She stated with a slightly unsure voice.

Noticing his name being called, the elderly man, Bob, looked the two females and his grin widened.

"Oh my! Erza-chan, you've sure grown!" He praised.

The redhead smiled, "Yes, it's been a long time, Master Bob,"

Lucy shrieked back. This was the Master of Blue Pegasus?! She was kind of glad that she joined Fairy Tail...

Their bantering was cut short as Makarov began to make his speech, piercing through the Shadow user's heart. Kageyama surrendered as fell to his knees. Never in his life had he thought of living like that before. He wasn't born into this world alone...

"Master!"

Raising his eyebrows. Makarov was met with his mischievous children who were running towards him with a delighted smile on their faces.

"Oooh! Why're you guys here?!" The third Master of Fairy Tail was flabbergast. Where the hell did they come from?

Erza wasted no time and brought him into a hug, "As expected, your words were so moving!"

Makarov hitched in pain as his forehead was pressed against the hard armor "It hurt!"

"Wow, that was amazing, old man!" Natsu grinned, patting his Master's head who was now standing on his own.

"Stop patting me!" The midget growled, seriously, these kids have no respect at all!

Gray smirked, looking around as he crossed his arms, "Well then, I guess that settles that matter...,"

"Put some clothes on," Lucy muttered from his side with Happy in tow.

...

Their attention was brought back when Lullaby's eyes glowed purple, and suddenly. A looming voice echoed through the area.

" **Nothing but a bunch of cowardly mages, each on of you!** "

Their balances were lost as the ground began to shake violently. A massive magic circle appeared above them and lighting began to strike down from it. The mages defended themselves as lights shone over at them.

 **"I can't stand it any longer! I'll devour you all myself!"**

And so, the lights disappeared and stood before them was a massive wooden being. Its height was looming over the mountains as its three purple eyes glared down at them.

Lucy took a step back in fear, her legs began to shake and sweat began to roll down her back.

"Wh-What is that thing?!" She screamed.

Kageyama's hand shook, his eyes trembled as he stared up at the beast in front of him. What the hell was this thing?! He didn't know anything about this!

"My, this is bad...," Goldmine, the Master of Quatro Cerberus Guild muttered as he appeared out of nowhere.

Lucy, who was standing beside him choked, "Why did the flute turn into a monster?!"

Goldmine looked at the girl, "That monster is Lullaby. In other words, it's a **Living Magic**. Zeref's creation," He said, crossing his arms with a cool posture.

Erza's brows furrowed. This was bad, to have come across with a monster that the Dark mage himself created... She gazed at her surroundings. The air around them seemed ominous, it was as if they were inside a dreamworld like abyss, and the guild Masters were already outside of the conference hall. Looking behind her, she could tell that both Natsu and Gray were ready to let loose at any moment.

The redhead's fists clenched. She was low on magic energy, if she uses on of her armors now, she'll probably collapse on the spot.

"Natsu, Gray," Her voice was firm and aggressive, making the two teens look at her, "Get ready,"

Hearing this, the two smirked. Erza summoned a sword with her right hand and covered it in **Armament Haki**.

"Let's go, both of you!" She ordered before kicking the ground and dashed towards the wood monster like lighting.

"Don't order us around, dammit!" The two yelled in unison, they were too pumped up to care about their leader's fury.

Lucy watched in awe as Erza leaped up into the air and slash the open space. Suddenly, a sharp sword-wave was sent forward, straight at Lullaby's face.

 **"You think something like this could defeat me?!"** Zeref's creation roared. Its mouth opened wide as a magic circle appeared, shooting a beam of light forward.

The ray pierced through the sword-wave and headed straight towards the unexpected Erza, who was still in midair. The bystanders who were watching from afar widened their eyes in horror as a massive explosion about the size of a mountain engulfed the redhead.

"Erza!" Natsu, Gray, and Lucy cried in terror as they watched their comrade get blown away and crashed through the trees.

Makarov narrowed his eyes, he was sure that Erza was stronger than that... Why wasn't she using her armors? Was she running low on magic?

Struggling to get up, the armored woman peered over to see her friends rushing towards her aid. She narrowed her eyes tiredly before yelling out with her remaining strength. Her vision was getting blurry.

"I am fine!" She gasped for air, "It's up to you three to defeat Lullaby...,"

The three stood in silence. Makarov watched them from the side with a smile on his face. It seemed like things were about the get heated up.

Lullaby gazed around its surroundings, everywhere underneath its feet were insects of humans. Just like ants, all it have to do was stomp the ground and every single one of them will be flatten like pancakes... Zeref's creation looked up from its musing and was met with a pink haired human who was rocketing up into the air with flames from his feet. Fire like inferno was now spinning wildly around the human's fists as he roared his attack name.

" **Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!** "

Large streams of fire were produced from Natsu's arms and began to take a rough form of a pair of Dragon's wings. He swung his arms down in a powerful arc, and the inferno crashed down against Lullaby's wooden head.

The beast roared in pain as it staggered backward, Gray saw this opportunity and decided to take action.

" **Ice Make!** "

He chanted, magic circles began to form in his hands.

" **Ice Canon!** "

A massive cannon made of ice appeared. Gray aimed the object with difficulties before a massive ice ball shot forth, straight at the monster's body. The ice exploded into shards and froze Lullaby in place.

 **"D-Damn you...,"** The demon growled.

Lucy smirked, now this was her chance! She snatched on of her keys from key holder and chanted with excitement.

" **Gate of the Golden Bull, I open thee! Taurus!** "

Lights engulfed her vision as a massive minotaur appeared. The blonde grinned wildly and pointed towards the now falling monster.

"Taurus! Use your power and destroy that demonic flute into pieces!" She ordered.

The bull creature howled loudly into the night sky and began to spin the Giant Labrys in his hand.

"Lucy-san's boobs are the best!" Taurus roared, storming towards Lullaby like a train and slammed his weapon against the monster's frozen body.

Zeref's creation screeched in agony as parts of its body shattered into bits. Having enough of the mages' onslaughts. It thrashed its massive claws about, destroying trees and nearby mountains along the way.

 **"Enough!"** The living flute cried.

The Fairy Tail mages and the bystanders covered their ears when Lullaby screeched. A series of sound waves were sent from the monster, making them back away with pain and fear. Their surroundings began to rot into ashes as the horrible screech continued.

 **"I'll be eating all your souls!"**

Erza gritted her teeth. No! The Lullaby was going to play its music and there was nothing she could do about it! She quickly turned towards the three guild Masters and saw that they were getting ready to take action, especially Makarov.

...

Out of nowhere, a massive tree about half the size of Lullaby came crashing down on its body, making it fall face flat on the floor. The mages around the area watched with shock as the flute struggled to get up...

What the hell just happened?

Shaking out of her surprise, Erza widened her eyes. This was it! God had opened their path to victory.

"What are you guys waiting for?!" She roared, catching many bystanders' attention, "Attack it!"

...

And with that said, the three mages along with the guild Masters' magic flared to life. Shooting everything they have at the now unable to move demon.

It was a great firework show. Erza thought.

XXXX

Naruto flipped a page of Rayleigh's book as he sat by the camp fire. The world where the old man had come from was really interesting. It was a world of freedom. He couldn't help but smile as he noticed the heaviness in his hand. Yes, this was going to be a long read. Hell, he hadn't even finish chapter one yet. Though, he was quite curious. Whenever the characters fight in this book, they began to shout their attack names... He wondered why. Does it make the attack become stronger or something?

The blonde was cut out of his thoughts when a massive circle appeared in the air not so far away from him. He raised his eyebrow slightly as he glanced over. Stood there was a massive being made out of wood, its back was facing towards him as if it was looking at something on the opposite side.

"What...," He muttered.

Scratching his head, Naruto went back to his book with an uninterested expression on his face. Well, he doesn't really care as long as the wooden creature doesn't come this way...

Minutes later, the beast began to thrash about, destroying trees and nearby mountains. Naruto tried his best to ignore, but cringe when the monster screech into the air.

Before he knew it. The environment around him began to rot into ashes as well as the book in his hands...

The book!

With a twisted snarl. The blonde tried everything he could to stop the rotting, but nothing seemed to work. This was bad! If Rayleigh finds out...

Shit.

In a moment of rage and frustration. Naruto grabbed a random tree, which was five times the size of his body and hurled it at the wooden creature with all his might.

Hopefully, that'll calm him down...

XXXX

"What?" Naruto muttered dumbfoundedly while staring at the guard in front of him.

Right now he was on his way back to Fairy Tail, but an unexpected problem managed to cross his path. Apparently, according to the guard before him. The train tracks back to Oshibana's station had been wrecked due to mages fighting one another. He also heard that one of them was a Fairy Tail mage who uses fire magic... And only one person came to Naruto's mind.

Natsu.

That bastard!

Clicking his tongue loudly, he scratched the back of his head in annoyance.

"Tch, dammit,"

The guard, who was trying to calm the blonde down stuttered slightly.

"P-Please understands, it is difficult for us-," The man was cut off when the whiskered man brushed him off.

"Whatever," Sassed Naruto as he began to walk away.

Now how was he going to get back? Should he wait for the tracks to be fixed or should he walk back?

...

Without thinking much, the blonde went with the flow and decided to let his legs walk by itself. What could possibly go wrong?

XXXX

(Two days later)

"T-They were being serious about fighting?!" Lucy Heartfilia muttered as she stared at the sight before her.

Right now she was going to witness the fight between two of Fairy Tail's strongest members. Many people were gathered in front of the guild, each and every one of them were cheering wildly. It was as if she was standing in a festival. The blonde looked to her side and saw Gray nodded.

"Oh! Hi, Lucy!"

The voice of Mirajane cut her out of her astonishment. Looking around, she spotted the white haired barmaid waving over at her with a smile on her face. Without thinking much, Lucy ambled towards the Strauss siblings with a worried expression.

"Will this be okay? I mean, what will happen if two of the people in the strongest team fight...," She mumbled at the end.

Gray heard this and scoffed loudly, "Strongest team? What're you talking about?"

The Celestial mage frowned, "You, Natsu, and Erza. duh! You guys are the top three in Fairy Tail, right?"

The Ice mage raised a brow, "Huh? That's just dumb. Who told you that?"

The nearby eavesdroppers went silent as they looked at Mirajane, who was now smiling emotionlessly. All of them sweat dropped when the white-haired woman turned around, burying her face in her hands and sobbed.

Gray began to panic.

 _"He made her cry...,"_ They all thought in unison.

Lucy's attention was brought back when the youngest Strauss spoke up.

"I do recognize Natsu's and Gray's strengths, but I wouldn't go calling them the strongest. There are many people who are stronger than them in Fairy Tail," He pointed his thumb towards his chest and smirked, "Like me, for example!"

Suddenly, Levy, a short girl with blue hair walked up to them with a friendly smile on her face, "Well, Erza _is_ probably the strongest woman, though,"

Jet and Droy stood by her sides, the High-Speed magic user crossed his arms, "If you're talking about the strongest man, then it's probably Mystogan or Laxus," He added.

All of their attention was brought back to the middle as Natsu roared with flames in his eyes.

"Erza! Don't you dare hold back, I've been waiting for this day to come!"

The redhead closed her eyes and smiled, "We'll see about that...,"

Lucy watched as Erza's Heart Kreuz armor turned pitch black along with the gauntlet on her hands. She turned towards the smirking Gray and asked aloud.

"Hey, um. I didn't get to ask, but what magic does Erza use?"

The Ice mage raised an eyebrow at her, "Huh? You don't know?"

Hearing where the conversation was going, Mirajane decided to butt in, "Well, you see. Erza uses a unique type of **Re:equip** magic which allows her to swap weapons, armor, and clothes at will. Though, not many mages use it in battle due to the delay of switching. But Erza's different. She can Requip extremely fast and has many different types of armor to boost her physical abilities. Thus, earning her the title 'Titania, Queen of Fairies',"

At this point, not many people were listening except Lucy. She was staring at the armored woman with stars in her eyes. She knew that Erza was amazing, but this was something else! Though, she doesn't really understand why the redhead's armor turned black.

"What about the black thing that's covering her armor?" The blonde muttered.

Gray wasted no time and replied, "That's her **Armament Haki** ,"

" **Armament**... **Haki**?" She questioned.

The Ice mage scratched his head, how should he explain this? It wasn't like he knew much about Erza's abilities...

"Well, apparently it's something like a spirit armor that allows the user to enhance their physical abilities. Whether it be for offense or defense...,"

"Wait, so it's not even magic?" Lucy gawked, making the dark haired teen look at her with a shrug. Honestly, he doesn't even know...

The two watched as Natsu sprang forward with his flaming fist pulled back. Erza did the same with hers. Everyone around the circle shielded themselves as fire and shockwaves erupted between the two fighters when they clashed.

"How manly of them!" Elfman shouted, peering over at the two with difficulties.

"W-Wow," Lucy gasped. These two were seriously something else.

Gray smirked, now he was getting pumped up, "Heh,"

Suddenly. A loud, frog-like voice echoed throughout the area.

"Stop right there!"

Many heads turned to the newcomer and many eyebrows were raised. Stood before them was a frog-like person, most of the mages knew what this individual was.

"I am a messenger from the Council," The frog stated.

"C-Council?" Levy muttered.

Jet, who was standing beside her mumbled, "A messenger?"

Makarov's eyes narrowed, what was the Council up to now? He stayed in silence and watched as the mystery unfolded.

"Stemming from the recent Eisenwald incident, we hereby charge you with eleven counts of criminal property damage," The messenger held up the piece of paper, "Erza Scarlet, you are under arrest!"

...

What?

XXXX

Siegrain smirked when he saw a handcuffed Erza came into view. Her brown eyes held no reflection as she got closer. It seemed like the redhead was well prepared for this. Getting up from his leaning position, he strolled towards her. The two were now face to face.

"Jellal...," Her voice was filled with rage and anger as she glared at him.

The frog-like messenger quickly kneed on the ground and bowed at the blue haired man with respect.

Said blue haired man did not budge, "Long time no see, Erza," He greeted.

The redhead growled under her breath as she continued to glare. Jellal, why was he here? She had met him countless of times already, and she knew. She knew what his little scheme was. Trying to get the Council's trust while building _that_ tower in the shadow. She couldn't help but notice that his right arm was still missing. He probably lost it when the tower collapsed.

Seeing her face, Jellal/Siegrain smirked, "Come on now, don't be so on guard. This is a thought projection. My _real_ body is in Era. The old men in the next room are also all thought projections. It's not like they'd actually come all the way here for such a trivial matter,"

Erza did not respond, she was too busy glaring at him with hate.

"Erza... Don't be like that," He said with voice filled with manipulation, "After all, I'm on Fairy Tail's side. The old men were afraid that they would share in the blame, so they created a plan to push responsibility onto others-"

"Enough!" The armored maiden snapped, "Don't you dare bring my guild into this!"

The tattoo faced man smirked, "As you wish. Though, I wanted to see you before the trial and warn you...,"

He cupped her chin and whispered into her ear, "Say nothing of the past to the old men. For both our sakes,"

Erza's eyes sharpened. She could break out of these handcuffs if she really wanted to. With a nasty growl, the redhead snarled.

"If you lay a hand on _them_ then I will never forgive you. If you touch any of my guildmates then I will destroy _that_ tower of yours and you along with it! This is between you and me, Jellal!"

The blue haired man took a step back, a wide grin on his face. It seemed like the little girl that he once knew had changed. She had changed into a furious woman. With nothing better to say, the conversation ended just like that. Jellal began to walk towards the room where the judgment will be passed on to the redhead.

"Well then, I'll be waiting on the other side of the door. As a member of the Council,"

And with that said, he disappeared into thin air.

Erza's eyes narrowed. One of these days she will cut him to shreds.

XXXX

"Ah! the sweet smell of freedom!" Natsu Dragneel cheered into the air.

Everyone in the guild was worried about Erza's arrest, but it all turned out to be just a formality. They arrested her just for show to preserved the order of the magical world. Everyone sighed as they watched Natsu ran up and down. Cheering about freedom like an idiot.

The Dragon Slayer had managed to escape their hold and went to rescue the redhead. And in the end, they were thrown in jail for one night.

"So, what about your man-to-man fight with Erza, Natsu?" Elfman questioned from the side. He was getting quite annoyed from just listening to the idiot shouting.

Lucy, who was seated at the same table as Gray sighed, "Not this again...," Honestly, she was so worried about Erza that she couldn't sleep a single wink.

The Dragon Slayer grinned, "Oh yeah, I completely forgot!" Turning to look behind him, he spotted the armored woman sitting on one of the tables, massaging her forehead tiredly, "Erza~, let's continue where we left off!"

Erza paid him no mind, "No, I'm tired,"

Natsu did not listen. Flames spun around his right fist as he rushed at her.

"Eat this!"

...

Many deadpanned looks were thrown in his way when he was instantly met with a punch to the face. In an instant, the pink haired teen was sent flying towards the other side of the guild hall.

"Natsu, that's so lame!" Gray howled with laughter as he and the other mages joined in.

"Man, Erza's still as strong as ever!" Elfman followed.

Mirajane giggled. She turned towards Makarov, who was seated at the counter with his staff over his shoulder. Noticing the look on his face, she couldn't help but ask.

"What's the matter, Master," Her voice was filled with worry.

The midget closed his eyes. My, what a graceful young lady, "I'm feeling sleepy...," He murmured, "It's him...,"

Before Mirajane could ask any further, a massive wave of drowsiness engulfed the whole guild, making her fall to the ground in a deep slumber along with the rest of the guild.

Erza closed her eyes, trying to withstand the Sleeping magic. She could feel a presence standing at the guild's entrance. She knew who it was. With a quick burst of her magic, the redhead summoned a sword and threw it at the newcomer. She opened her eyes and glared.

She missed.

Stood in front of the mission board was Mystogan. The man was dressed in a dark blue cloak and his arms and legs were mostly covered in bandages. He wore a dark blue bandana with a silver forehead protector, on his face was a green mask that obscured the bottom half of his face. The He swiftly snatched a random S-rank mission and took off.

Erza's eyes narrowed. The man looked like a ninja, in her opinion... He was Naruto's one-sided rival.

The ninja mage swiftly snatched a random S-rank mission, showing it to the half-sleeping Makarov before taking off.

"Mystogan," The midget muttered.

"I'm off," Said the mage plainly.

He stopped when an armored woman appeared in his view of sight. An angry frown on her face.

"Undo the sleeping spell, now," She ordered.

Mystogan walked past her and started to count down, starting at five. As he disappeared from sight, the drowsiness faded away and the normal atmosphere returned.

All members got up to their feet and began to rub away the sleep in their eyes.

"What happened?" Lucy murmured, yawning here and there.

Jet, who seated himself down on the table muttered under his breath, "This feeling... it's like Mystogan was here?"

"That bastard!" Droy rubbed his face.

"He always uses such powerful magic...," Levy mumbled.

Hearing this, Lucy turned towards her two friends who were seated at the same table as her.

"Mystogan?" She asked, trying to recall the name.

Gray was rubbing his eyes, trying to wake. He doesn't feel like answering right now. So Elfman decided to speak,

"He's one of the strongest men in Fairy Tail. He does this because he doesn't like other people to see his face...,"

The Ice mage slumped down the table tiredly, "When he comes to take a job, he always put everyone to sleep like this," His dark eyes traveled toward Makarov, "No one other than the master knows what he looks like,"

Lucy gulped. Now that was suspicious...

Suddenly, a voice filled with arrogance loomed from above.

"No, I know what he looks like,"

Everyone in the guild widened their eyes. They turned their heads up to the second floor, only to see a cocky smirk on a blonde haired man's face.

Lucy took a step back, the man's appearance looked very frightening. He was very tall and muscular, his blonde hair was slicked back and its numerous spiky strands were pointing backward. The blonde teenage girl couldn't help but notice the lightning bolt shaped scar on his right eyes. He was wearing a leopard-print, orange tunic with dark-lined sleeves reaching down below his elbows, and fur on the lower edges...

The man gave out an 'Don't mess with me!' aura. Though, her thoughts were cut off when the guild began to shout.

"Laxus! You were here?!" Elfman cried, clearly surprised.

Wakaba muttered underneath his breath, "Wow, that's rare...,"

Seeing the look on Lucy's face. Gray cupped his chin and leaned on the table. "He's another one of the strongest,"

Lucy hitched back. She stood still and continued to listen to the blonde haired man.

"Mystogan's shy, so keep your nose outta it," He mocked, making many members frown.

Hearing the familiar voice in the guild. Natsu's eyes snapped open. He spotted the older man and growled.

"Laxus! Fight me!"

Gray sweatdropped, "You were just beaten by Erza a second ago!"

The headphone wearing mage smirked, "Yes, that's right! If you can't even beat Erza, then there's no way you could beat me!"

"What are you implying?!" The redhead snarled. Waves of intimidation were now rolling off her.

Many members backed away. This was not going to end well...

Laxus did not waver, he continued to smirk, "I'm implying that I'm the strongest!" He made a motion with his hands.

Natsu couldn't take it anymore, "If you're the strongest then get down here and prove it, you bastard!" He yelled.

The Dreyar sneered, "How about you come up here?"

"Fine by me!" The Dragon Slayer roared, jumping on the table and leaping into the air with his right fist pulled back.

He didn't get far when a giant hand swatted him in midair, making him crash down to the guild's wooden floor. Lucy frozen in fear, the was getting really bad!

"You can not go upstairs, not yet," Makarov said, peering over his shoulder and glared at his grandson, "And you, that's enough!"

Laxus did not listen, he looked down at his guildmates and grinned wickedly, "I'm not giving up my seat as the strongest in Fairy Tail for anyone! Not to Erza or Mystogan, either," He pointed his thumb at himself, "I am the strongest!"

Tension flared violently around the guild as Erza glared heatedly at him. The ground underneath her began to crack as the waves of intimidations doubled tenfold. Lucy, Gray and many other members began to take a step back. This was getting out of hand!

Makarov gazed at her with a neutral expression on his face, he needed to fix this before things get serious-

"Huh? Laxus's back?"

A calm and lazy voice spoke loudly, and in an instant. The tension in the air faded away into nothing. All heads quickly turned towards the guild's entrance and all faces became blank.

Stood before them was a tall, yet normal looking man with weird whisker marks on his cheeks. His spiky blonde hair swayed in the wind as he stood in a relaxed posture. The clothes on his body were plain and boring. It was a simple white shirt and a pair of black, below knee level shorts.

Lucy noted that there was a backpack slung over his shoulder and on his feet were...

Flip flops.

It was an odd choice for outdoor traveling, the girl thought.

Looking around. Naruto couldn't help but raise on of his eyebrows in confusion. Why the hell were they staring at him as if he was a newcomer? Usually, they would just say hi without even batting an eyelash.

Weird...

Oh! Maybe they were just looking behind him, how could he not thought of that! The blonde peeked over his shoulder to see if anything was there and frowned.

Nope, nothing...

With no luck, he gazed back at his silent guildmates once more.

Seriously, what the hell was wrong with these guys now?

XXXX

(Omake/Extra)

Rayleigh yawned loudly as the morning sun greeted his wrinkly face. He's tired eyes darted around his front yard, only for them to be widened at the sight.

Everything was rotten into ashes...

Looking around, he also noticed that his favorite tree was missing. That tree was the only source that kept his cabin cool in the blazing summer, and now it was gone... Rubbing his bearded chin, the glasses old man looked down at his feet. His brow was raised slightly as he noticed the familiar book on the ground. Even though it was rotted he could still tell by its cover. It was the book that he had lent to Naruto.

He wondered what happened...

Scratching his head, the old pirate laughed half-heartedly into the air. Well, whatever. It was a good thing that the blonde didn't read it. After all, it had many sex scenes... And, uh. His personal secrets.

* * *

 **Finished**

 **Hey, haha. Are you guys triggered that Naruto didn't get to do much in this arc? Well, next arc, he will get more action in the next arc.**

 **I noticed that a lot of people didn't like it when I wrote down what happened in canon with 'a few added touch'.**

 **Naruto will be doing his own things, he's not a part of team Natsu. Sure, he'll tag along with them most of the time, but canon arcs will change drastically. This was just the beginning arc.**

 **What was the point of these two chapters?**

 **\- I don't fucking know, I just went with the flow with my imagination.**


	9. Chapter 9: Pink guy is awesome

**Nhhg, about time.**

XXXX

Silence filled the guild hall as all eyes stared at the newcomer by the entrance. Makarov mentally facepalmed when he felt his grandson go into silent mode. Great, why now? Why now of all time? Looking ahead of him, he was met with a slightly confused Naruto. The young man seemed to be pretty tired just from the look in his eyes...

The midget sighed when he felt the atmosphere became cold. He knew that Laxus and Naruto did not get along. Every single time they met, the two would clash, though. He was always around to stop the fight. The third master of Fairy Tail was quite worried about his arrogant grandson when they fought, the two didn't really make any physical contact, but still... One crack in the air by Naruto and Laxus's bone would probably break to pieces. His thoughts were brought back when the whiskered blonde decided to speak up.

"What? Is there something on my face?"

Many deadpanned looks were thrown at him before his guildmates broke into conversations. Lucy looked curiously at Mirajane, who was standing not so far away from her.

"Uh, hey Mira-san," The blonde called, making the barmaid look at her, "Who's that guy?"

Blinking several times. The eldest Strauss beamed, "That's Naruto, he's one of Fairy Tail's strongest member!"

Hearing this, Lucy gulped. Another one? She gazed at the two men on her table with a nervous expression on her face.

"I-Is he really that strong?" She whispered, trying not to be heard.

Both Gray and Elfman raised their brows, "Huh, You mean Naruto?" The Ice mage looked at the whiskered man from the corner of his dopey eyes, "I wouldn't say that he's one of the strongest...," He stopped mid sentence.

Wait, now that he thought about it... How strong was Naruto again? He had never seen the blonde fight before, but he does know that the guy had the highest endurance in the guild...

"Eh, Really?! But I thought Mira-san said that-," The blonde teenage girl was cut off when Elfman hissed to her quietly.

"You shouldn't believe everything Nee-chan tells you, she sometimes gave people wrong ideas...," He peeked over his shoulder, only to turn pale when he spotted his sister sulking by the corner of the guild.

"W-Wait Nee-chan! It was just a joke!"

Lucy sweat dropped.

"Enough!" Laxus roared, having enough of the nonsense bickering.

Every mages in the guild tensed their body as the S class mage's muscular body loomed over them. The air was once again filled with tension as the smell of dread floated around the area. Seeing this, the Dreyar smirked. These cowards, every single one of them. Once he obtained the title of guild master, there will be serious changes.

"Wow, that's so lame. Laxus,"

...

Naruto's voice rang through the silent guild, making many members step away. Why couldn't this idiot keep his mouth shut for once?! He does this every single time! They all flinched in surprise when lightning began to crackle around the now angered young man's fists.

Narrowing his eyes, Laxus glared into the other blonde's blue orbs.

"You...," He growled.

Naruto... This bastard always acted like they were equals. It pissed him off greatly. The two of them had nearly clashed multiple times but the old fart interrupted them every time. The Lightning mage snarled down at the younger man with disgust and hate.

"You! I'll start with you first! When I become the guild master, I will get rid of you before anyone else! Fairy Tail doesn't need a mage who can't use magic!" Roared Laxus as lightning flared around his body.

The other blonde did not bat an eyelash. Instead, he smiled smugly at him, making something inside him snap. This... This damn casual! With a blink of an eye. The Dreyar zapped across the room towards the whiskered young man.

Makarov's eyes widened along with everyone else's. Crap, he knew this would happen! Looking closely, he was the only one who noticed Naruto's fist clenching, and a familiar white bubble appeared.

Shit.

He needed to stop this right now or else the whole guild will be destroyed! Just as the two were about clash, a white blur flashed in front of them, making everyone shield their eyes.

Shockwaves of lightning erupted from the spot. Making the many mages of Fairy Tail back away. Their eyes fluttered open, only to widen them in shock as they saw the scene before them.

Stood between the two blondes was Erza, and on her body was the **Lightning Empress Armor**. Lucy couldn't help but think that it resembled the armored Hellenic goddess from the fantasy books.

Narrowing her eyes, the redhead growled loudly, "Don't you dare lay a hand on him, Laxus!"

The Lightning mage t'ched loudly, dodging a wild slash from the young lady's spear. He gazed over at Naruto who wore the same expression as him.

"You're lucky, bastard!" Laxus snarled.

His attention was brought back to an enraged Erza, who was storming at him with her spear twirling in her hand.

"Don't ignore me!"

Blue lightning met with yellow. Sparks of uncontrollable energy shot forth, destroying many tables and walls around them. Naruto stared silently at the ongoing scene. The quake bubble around his fist faded away into nothing. Erza... You bi-

The whole guild trembled to its foundation when a large portion of magical energy erupted from a certain spot in the guild. All heads snapped towards a furious Makarov, who was now standing on the bar counter. Vein could be seen popping on his forehead as his magic flared viciously around him.

"You three... In. My. Office, now!"

...

Everyone gulped, including Lucy. Sweat began to pour down her head as her legs shook slightly. She had never seen Master so enraged before... The blonde peeked over at her three troublesome guildmates behind her and blinked.

Laxus clicked his tongue in frustration as he looked away, cussing under his breath. Naruto, whose hands were now in his pockets groaned in annoyance, there was a really irritated look on his face, and Erza. She was closing her eyes while looking down as if she was trying to calm herself.

It seemed like these guys were in a lot of trouble now...

XXXX

"Man, does that old fart ever shut up?" Naruto muttered under his breath as he strolled through Magnolia's midnight street.

The cool air breezed against his skin, making his spiky blonde hair sway from side to side. Magnolia was dead at this time of the night. People were already asleep and they weren't going the get up anytime soon. Looking up, the blonde was met with a full moon. He couldn't help but bore his eyes into the bright yellow ball's form. Unlike the sun, the brightness of the moon felt smooth and calm. Taking his breath away every time he looked.

"You shouldn't call him that, Naruto," A firm voice spoke behind him.

Naruto gazed over his shoulder to see Erza walking not so far away from him. Despite the small lighting from the moon's ray. He noticed the disapproval frown on her face.

"What? I'm just expressing myself...," He muttered in irritation.

Yes. Makarov, the old midget made the three of them clean up the whole guild after a five-hours long lecture. It was a pain in the ass... Heh, of course. He also made an escape attempt along with Laxus...

Laxus...

Thinking of that bastard made Naruto's mood darken. He and that blondie did not get along, it was like water and oil. The older man's attitude pissed him off, he didn't know why but when they kids, Laxus used to be alright. He used to be extremely kind and outgoing. Naruto wondered what changed him... A soft sighed escaped his red haired friend's lips, cutting him out of his thoughts.

"But still, you shouldn't say that...," She whispered, but he still heard.

Scoffing slightly, The blonde looked at her with a raised brow, "Why are you following me anyway? Shouldn't you be going home or something?"

The two froze when a loud growl was heard. His eyes traveled down at the young lady's stomach and glared.

"You're hungry?"

Erza's body stiffened. Why now of all time? She broke eyes contact and looked away, a small hue of pink on her cheeks.

"I haven't eaten anything yet...," She informed with an unsure voice.

Naruto gave her a skeptical look, "You haven't had breakfast?"

She nodded.

...

Looking around, a frown appeared on his whiskered face. The street was a ghost town, he was sure that no restaurants would stay open at this time of the night. Wait... Why was she following him again? Naruto peeked back at the redhead when he spotted the sparkles in her eyes.

Oh, how could he have not noticed it? It was so obvious...

"You want me to cook for you...," He deadpanned.

A smile was his reply.

XXXX

"This is good, but I had better," Erza Scarlet wiped her mouth with a tissue before she placed her knife and fork down on the now emptied plate.

"Tch, You should be grateful that I went out of my way to make food for you,"

Her brown eyes drifted to the side to see Naruto scowling at her from the sofa. It seemed like he was still annoyed about today's event. A soft smile bloomed on her face as she began to look around, taking in her surroundings. Naruto's apartment was still the same as two years ago, nothing had changed. It was as if the blonde had settled down and decided to spend the rest of his life living here. Now that thought made her relax.

"Oi, Erza. Wash the dishes when you're done. I'm going to bed,"

His voice cut her out of her thoughts. The red-haired woman shifted her head to her childhood friend, only to see him yawned tiredly while scratching his head.

"Wait," She called.

Peeking back, Naruto looked over with slightly half opened eyes.

"What?" He muttered.

Erza picked up her plates and made her way towards the sink, "I want to ask you something,"

The blonde stared, not really caring much "What is it?"

"I was wondering if you are free tomorrow," She began.

Hearing this, Naruto frowned. Was she going to ask him to go on a mission with her or something? He turned his body around to fully face her and gave the red-haired woman a questioning stare, silently telling her to continue.

Seeing the look on his face, Erza took it as a yes.

"Let's go on an S-rank mission together, you and me," She smiled.

"S-rank? But I'm not an S class mage... I'm not even a mage to began with," The whiskered young man pointed toward himself with a deadpanned expression.

Erza shook her head, "No it's alright. I've asked Master and he said it was fine, as long if it's you,"

Naruto couldn't help but feel flattered. Aw, that old man had so much faith in him. But still, an S rank mission... He heard a lot about them, but never really know what they do. Must be a lot harder than moving housing objects and catching runaway cats.

"Hmm. Well, whatever. I'll go,"

It wasn't like anything could go wrong, and besides. They hadn't really spent much time with each other lately in these past months. This S-rank mission could be a new experience for him...

"That's good to hear," Erza's voice cut him out of his thoughts.

He was taken aback slightly when lights covered her body and in an instant, she was now wearing her pajamas.

"Huh?" He mumbled aloud.

"Well then, I'll be seeing you tomorrow, Naruto," The redhead smiled before ambling towards his guest room.

Naruto stared at her back dumbly, "Hey, who said you can stay for the night?"

...

No reply.

An annoyed growl escaped his mouth. Seriously, what the hell was wrong with this woman?

XXXX

The smell of fire wet his nose when he opened his eyes. Shooting up from his slumber, Naruto began to sweat as smoke filled his vision.

 _"What the hell's going on?!"_

His ears picked up a feminine cough and in a flash of lightning, he was out of his room. Flames flickered in his eyes' reflection as the heat met his whiskered face. His jaw dropped down to his knees while staring at the unbelieving sight before him.

"Erza, what the hell?!"

A red haired woman turned around with a messy apron on her body. She was sweating slightly due to the fire in the pan she was holding.

Naruto couldn't help but watch with a gobsmacked expression when a proud smile donned on her face.

"Naruto, breakfast's ready,"

"No! My kitchen!"

...

XXXX

...

"Is this even edible?"

Staring down at the _food_ on the plate before him. Naruto couldn't help but grimace in disgust. He peeked up to see Erza eying him with a smile on her face. It seemed like she was really proud of herself.

"Hmhn, It took me quite a while to get the ingredients right. But I wasn't sure if I should use the oil or butter for the eggs, so I decided to use both-,"

"It tastes like shit,"

Naruto's voice cut her off. The feeling of disappointment engulfed her shattered heart. She looked down at the table and bit her thumb.

"I see...," She muttered, clenching her right fist tightly, "So it wasn't good after all... Then! As a punishment, please hit me!"

Naruto deadpanned, this again? His blue eyes gazed towards where the kitchen was and immediately frowned. This woman... He should have known, Erza couldn't cook. She literally burnt down his kitchen! Hell, he was lucky she didn't set the house on fire!

The blonde looked back at the young woman who was sitting in front of him and growled. That forehead could use a good stab. With a swift movement, he snatched a nearby fork and rammed it against his target's defenseless skull.

Revenge felt so good.

Too bad for him, the item in his hand bent oddly due to the **Armament Haki** covering Erza's forehead. The woman blinked.

Once.

Twice.

"Oh, I apologize for my reflexes," She looked at the fork in his hand, "Would you like to try again?" She asked, completely serious.

Naruto scoffed and threw the damaged item in the bin, "No," He muttered. He did not want to get his belongings broken again...

"So? What's the mission that you wanted us to go on?" He questioned, trying to change to subject.

The redhead perked up with a smile. She summoned a poster from her storage space and handed it to him. The blonde accepted it with a bored look on his face before skimming through with steadiness.

"Secret of Barrow Village?" He mumbled aloud.

Erza nodded, "Yes. It's said that there are many strange mysteries like illusions appearing around that village, though. Reports say that they aren't even sure if that's the actual case. It's a complete mystery and apparently, no one come out of that place alive...,"

She was taken aback slightly when she noticed the look in Naruto's eyes. It was filled with excitement. Something that she hadn't seen in a long time.

"Naruto?" She looked at him curiously.

Jerking up, the blonde realised that he was smirking. He quickly rubbed his mouth and looked away, trying to wipe the expression off his face.

"Uh, yeah. I'll go," He muttered, somewhat awkwardly.

That was bad. He hadn't felt like that in quite a while. Hearing about the mysterious village made his heart pound rapidly. That village Erza mentioned sounded like the ruin he explored once with Gildarts. Many questions were floating around in his mind as he tried to find the answers. Was it another one of those mysterious places that had guardian-like creatures protecting it?

Like that diamond armored golem he fought many years ago... He wondered how well he would fare against something like that again.

Chills ran up his spine as that thought came to mind. He hadn't been doing anything much in these past years... Maybe it was time to let loose. Things were getting quite boring lately anyway.

"Then, shall we leave today in the afternoon,"

Erza's voice made him look at her. There was a fond smile on her face, something that was pretty rare in the guild. She looked relax more than usual, he wondered why. Naruto eyed her for a few moment before standing up from his seating spot, causing the woman to do the same.

"We should get ready...," He stopped mid-sentence when lights engulfed the redhead's body.

Erza was now wearing her usual **Heart Kreuz Armor** with a challenging smile on her face. For some reason, this made his mood become sour.

"What?" The blonde muttered. His eyebrows narrowing slightly.

The woman shook her head, she turned away and gazed at him over her shoulder.

"I'll be taking my leave, Naruto. Don't be late," She said softly.

An irritated frown appeared on his whiskered face. Naruto growled lowly under his breath as he watched the red-haired mage leaped out of his window's balcony.

"Use the door, dammit,"

XXXX

(Afternoon)

The sound of the train running on the railway echoed through Naruto's ears. His blue eyes bored into the person sitting on the opposite side of him. There was a small scowl on his face.

Erza was happily munching on a strawberry cake on the plastic plate in her hand. She jerked up slightly when she noticed the look on her blonde haired companion's face.

"Don't be like that, Naruto," She smiled, putting another piece into her mouth.

She stopped chewing for a moment when a loud growl escaped from Naruto's stomach.

"Are you hungry?" The redhead asked, making the blonde scoff.

He turned his head and glared outside the train's window, eyeing the moving trees as if they were the most interesting thing in the world.

"Yeah," He mumbled.

Since his kitchen burnt down, he had not eaten anything yet. He groaned softly when he felt his stomach growled, it was as if his stomach was digesting itself.

"Here,"

Naruto's attention was brought to Erza, who was smiling fondly at him with a piece of cake in her hand. Her face was saying 'Here, have some'.

...

Ignoring her, he peeked to the train's entrance with a calm expression on his face. It seemed like the train had stopped and more passengers are getting in. This train's room was getting quite crowded. Naruto couldn't help but wonder why there were so many people, especially in the afternoon... Maybe everyone was coming back from work?

Taken aback when Naruto got up from his seat. Erza questioned aloud.

"Naruto, what's wrong-."

Her voice was lost in her throat when the blonde plopped himself down next to her. Now that caught her off guard. She hitched back slightly when she noticed how close he was. The redhead could feel the heat in her armor acting up. It felt very uncomfortable. She was about to ask why he sat next to her but didn't when she noticed the people around them.

The train was getting crowded.

People were gushing in like water, making the air fill with sweat and the heat in the room doubled tenfold.

"Take off your armor,"

Naruto's voice caressed her ears and she froze. A small hue of red appeared on her face. She peeked up, only to see an irritated scowl on the blonde's whiskered face.

"Your armor's hurting me...," He hissed.

Erza sweat dropped. Just what was she expecting? The young woman did as she was told and small lights engulfed her armor, making many people who were seated near them peek. Erza fidgeted slightly with her skirt as she looked down. Not wearing her armor made her feel uncomfortable and unprotected. She flinched back slightly when she felt the coldness of the window touched her tender skin. She wasn't used to this...

XXXX

Watching his companion sigh for the hundred time in relieve, Naruto's eyes narrowed in a deadpanned manner.

"Was not wearing your armor in public that bad?" He questioned her.

Hearing this, the now equipped Erza glanced back at the young man. The two of them had reached their destination, Barrow Village for a little while now. Looking around, the redhead couldn't help but notice the ominous feeling in the air, the buildings surrounding them were torn apart as if they had been sitting still for centuries. The sight gave off an ancient vibe.

"We should split up and investigate the area," Erza suggested before strolling away, ready to get on with the job.

"...," Naruto stood still as he watched his friend walked away, it seemed like he was ignored... Well, whatever.

Lazily eyeing his surroundings once more, the blonde couldn't help but frown in displeasure. How the hell was he going to find anything strange about this place, everything here looked like Makarov... Old and boring...

Sighing, he looked off into the distance, what were they doing again? Looking for illusions that were appearing around this deserted village? Sounded like a cliche plot out of an adventure novel...

"Hmh?" A soft, yet curious sound escaped his closed lips.

Naruto's eyes traveled from point A to point B and met with a small mountain.

...

A single mountain in the forest plains? Seemed suspicious... Maybe he should go and check it out? Peeking over his shoulder to locate Erza. The blonde's face fell slightly. There she was, going through the deserted houses with a very serious look on her face.

"She really needs to get a new hobby...," He muttered under his breath before scratching his head and began to walk away.

Neither of them noticed the three icy eyes staring at them from their blind spot.

XXXX

The sound of footsteps echoed throughout the maze-like tomb, followed by the sound of clothes rustling. A man covered in dark blue cloak with bandages around his arms and legs strolled through the dark area as if he wasn't afraid of anything. His dark eyes peered forward between the gap of his bandana and mask, straight at the object in front of him.

A door.

An old, untouched door that hasn't been open for centuries. Silence washed over the whole area as the man stood still, listening to the sound of water drops while he eyed the ancient object.

This was his mission, and his name was Mystogan-

"Damn, this place is so cold... It's like being in winter..."

Eyes widened and body tensed. Mystogan spun around at the speed of light, a quiet, yet hearable gasp escaped his masked lips. There was someone behind him and he didn't even notice it. Impossible-

"..."

"..."

Blue eyes met with dark brown. The blue haired man stared at the individual with no expression on his hidden face. The person stood in front of him was no stranger. That bright blonde hair and whiskered face gave it all away, especially that outfit...

"Naruto...," What was he doing here?

The blonde, Naruto, copied him, "Mystogan...,"

With eyes narrowed and facial expression became a small scowl. Naruto glared. He had reached the single mountain and discovered a small pathway down into the underground and decided why not? Let' go on.

Turned out the place was a gigantic dark maze and now he's lost.

Though, he wondered what Mystogan's business down here was... Probably something shady...

But that doesn't matter, the man in cloak got down here on purpose so it was obvious that he knows how to get back. Luck seemed to shine on his side once more.

"..."

"..."

Man, starting a conversation with this guy was hard.

"Mystogan," Naruto began, staring straight into the other man's covered face.

Seeing that Mystogan was listening, he continued.

"I'm kinda lost... Do you know the way out of this place...," His sentence faded at the end when he noticed his suspicious guild mate strolled away, completely ignoring him.

Naruto could feel his vein popping when the sudden feeling of annoyance overwhelmed his body. This guy...

"I have no time for your nonsense, I am a very busy person," His voice echoed, "Besides, I'm sure you can find the exit on your own,"

Silence filled the two, letting the sound of Mystogan's footsteps echoed. Was this guy trying to encourage him to stop being lazy or something? Well, it ain't gonna work.

"You're busy? Or maybe you're just as lost as I am," Naruto provoked, a smug grin on his whiskered face.

Too bad, He was ignored... Again. And his soon to be savior was getting further and further away.

"O-Oi, wait up!"

In a moment of panic, Naruto quickly grabbed onto Mystogan's cloak without thinking. The cloaked mage widened his eyes in fright when he felt the fabric loosened, revealing a tuft of blue for the other male to see.

"..."

Naruto stayed in silence, his hand fell to his side unconsciously. His body quickly tensed when a tattoo he hadn't seen in a long time appeared before him.

"... Jellal,"

And then all hell broke loose when a fist stroke forward.

XXXX


	10. Chapter 10:

Nothing.

Was what Erza met with. She had been searching for anything abnormal for more than an hour now. She was slightly disappointed, it seemed like nothing will happen today. Plus, the sun above her was setting. It was getting very late. The redhead looked from left to right as she exited the destroyed house, trying to locate a certain blonde. It seemed like Naruto went to search on his own... Hmh.

Should she wait or go look for him? The young woman was about to use her **Observation** **Haki** but stopped when she felt magic flared to life. At first, she thought that it was an enemy until the ground shook violently. Her balance disappeared and she began to wobble from side to side. What was going on? Was this Naruto's doing?

Her brown eyes bulged in surprise when the small mountain in front of her burst open. Cracks began to run down the rocks, trees began to curve in as the trembling increases. It was madness.

A blue haired man dressed in cloak caught Erza's attention. She watched as he flew down from the busted mountain, crashing down the ground with a loud gasp. As the trembling died down, the redhead began to make her way towards the individual. The man's hair looked exactly the same as the person who she despited the most.

Was it Jellal?

Then does that mean Naruto was fighting Jellal?

She must see this.

...

But for some reason, that cloaked individual's outfit looked familiar...

XXXX

Groaning in agony as he clutched onto his stomach. Mystogan sat up painfully. He barely dodged that punch. But for some reason, his blonde guild mate's unknown power defied logic and struck him anyway... The last thing he saw was a massive crack in the air. Odd.

Mystogan coughed. Honestly, he didn't really know what happened. The moment his cloak came off he was attacked... What was the blonde's problem anyway? Now that he thought of it, he didn't know Naruto could use magic... No, that attack didn't feel like magic at all. It felt like... Nothing. But how could that be possible, it was as if the power was Naruto himself.

He slowly got up on his knees and looked around. With eyes narrowed, his unmasked face morphed into a worried scowl. That one attack did all of this? The area that he remembered to be filled with lush green was now a complete disaster. The earth's crust was poking out from all direction, trees were either fallen down or upside down.

Mystogan gave out a shaky sigh, what in the world was going on? Picking himself up, the mage hastily turned around. Sweat slowly poured down his forehead as his eyes bored into his attacker's blue ones. The blonde was standing high above from the mountain's newly made hole, completely still. Mystogan tried to read the emotions on the other man's face. Oddly enough, there was no anger nor there was any form of hate towards him. Mystogan didn't know why, but he knew.

Naruto was eager to fight him.

For what reasons he did not know why.

Calming himself, the blue haired man closed his eyes before re-opening them again. The best choice was to avoid fighting if possible.

"What was that for?" Mystogan began, his voice was cool and steady. He was about to continue speaking but stopped when Naruto spoke up, the blonde's voice loomed over his.

"Hey...," He paused "You're Jellal, right?"

That question froze the tension in the air. Mystogan's eyes narrowed slightly, his mouth formed a thin line. He wondered what the blonde's connection with his Earthland counterpart was. Were they enemies?

"No," That answer slipped from Mystogan's mouth. He could tell from Naruto's face that the blonde did not believe him. Seemed like he needed further _explanation_.

Too bad he was too slow.

"Bullshit, you can't lie to me," Naruto's voice was loud, easily for him to hear.

And without a warning, the foul-mouthed blonde rocketed off. Mystogan reacted in time and jumped to the side, avoided a powerful suicidal dive that was aimed at him. It seemed like no matter what he says, he can't avoid fighting in this situation...

The dust cleared, revealing a glaring Naruto, who was standing tall with his fists clenched. The whiskered man was ready to unleash his wrath at any moment.

Mystogan refocused. His expression showed now emotion.

"I do not want to fight," He gruffed lowly. He just wanted to get on with his mission, but looking at the now damaged mountain...

Naruto smirked slightly, "Let's continue where we left off, bastard,"

It seemed like reasoning with this man was a stupid move.

XXX

Mystogan.

That was the name of the man who was fighting with Naruto...

It was really surprising to Erza when she found out that he looked exactly the same as Jellal. How was she able to tell? That was because Jellal only has one arm, the other went missing when the Tower of Heaven collapsed. She needed to ask Master more about this.

The redhead watched as the mage kept a good distance between her blonde companion. It was as if the blue haired man knew of what Naruto's power was capable of. She eyed calculatingly as waves of magic and shockwaves clashed against one another. She did not want to get involve in this fight. She wasn't stupid enough to do so. Observing the two, she couldn't help but notice the look on Mystogan's face. He was doing fairly well. Sweat could be seen coming down his head ever so often. It was as if the man was having a workout of his life. And as for Naruto...

There was a massive scowl on his whiskered face.

She could tell that the blonde was irritated.

Erza could tell why. Probably because Mystogan kept the distance between them, launching many powerful magical projectiles. It was a clever move. Not that Naruto had problems with range attacks or anything...

A slight shift in the area caught her attention. Peeking back behind her, a massive being with three eyes stood before her. Erza didn't know what it was nor did she care. The only that caught her eyes was a small blur around its body... It was as if...

Closing her left eye. She saw.

The same creature but smaller. Illusion...

Hmm..

The two stared at each other with silence. Until the redhead drew her sword from thin air.

Erza Scarlet had a job to finish. Saving Mystogan can come later. Besides, she doubted that he was going to die anyway.

XXXX

He watched as his opponent roared in agony.

Mystogan's **Five Layered Magic Circle: Sacred Song** shot down from the heaven to the earth's crust. Ripping away the soil into oblivion. Dust covered the area as the spell finished its magic. The blue haired man wiped his mouth as he gasped for air. Naruto's power was truly frightening. To be able to generate earthquakes and shockwaves just by smashing the air like glass. He didn't even know that there was a guy like this in Fairy Tail. How come the blonde wasn't an S class mage he did not know. The only thing he knew was that the man was dangerous, he was a force to be reckoned with.

The dust cleared, showing tuft of blonde hair swaying in the breeze. If Mystogan was surprised, he didn't show it. He knew that this was going to be the result. He had tried everything up his sleeve... Not saying that his attacks didn't work, but the blonde was just too durable. With eyes narrowed, he eyed his opponent who stood unmoving with the same expression on his face.

It seemed like his attack was very effective. The blonde's skin was burnt red, blood dripping down his chin like no tomorrow. Naruto's appearance was fucked by a tornado. Mystogan watched as the wounds on his bloodied opponent began to close. He clenched the **Magic Stave** in his hand with all his might.

"What are you?" He questioned. No, demanded.

Naruto stilled. His wounds were long healed. The two glared at each other in silence, neither of them moved. This battle was going nowhere, no matter what he tried or how much power he put into his attacks. He couldn't touch the blue haired man. The bastard kept keeping their distance and throwing magic projectiles. It was really annoying. If only he could get a clean hit...

"I'll ask again..." Mystogan's frigid voice reached his ears, catching his attention, "What are you?"

"..."

Naruto stared, not bothering to answer. Then, a sudden idea popped into existence inside his head. He smiled. A sly smile. Maybe he could enlighten this bastard.

"A ramen topping," He quipped.

Mystogan couldn't get a word out of his mouth when his opponent quickly grabbed the air and pulled it down to his feet.

Before he knew it. His world spun like a whirlpool.

XXX

Erza Scarlet eyed the ground below her. An unsure look on her cherry face. The moment she saw Naruto pull the air down was the moment she knew that she needed to get into the air. **Black Wing Armor** adorned on her luscious body. With a bird's eye view. She observed her surroundings.

Hmnh.

She just hoped that master Makarov won't be angry when they get home.

XXX

His eyes were wide as golf balls. A loud gasp escaped his unmasked mouth as he realized what just happened. Naruto...

What a monster.

If Mystogan's calculation was correct. The blonde had managed to flip the whole area with just pulling the air. It was madness. He gritted his teeth as he tried his best to move. Right now he was literally floating in mid air. It was as if gravity had disappeared from Earth. Mystogan couldn't help but notice the ground below him tilting diagonally and from far away he could see some tilting in the opposite directions.

"Hey..."

Naruto's voice caught his attention.

Jellal's counterpart swiftly turned his head to the cause of the chaos. The blonde was standing on the tilting Earth as if it was natural to him. There was a wicked smile on his face.

"Got you now,"

The air was knocked out of his lungs when Naruto lunged forward and struck. All Mystogan could see was glass shattering around him. He could feel his inner organs and bones getting destroyed into bits as the unstoppable fist dug further into his body. He screamed in agony as his arms and legs spazzed uncontrollably. His mind shut down from all thoughts as the pain spread throughout his entire body.

It was unbearable.

And before Mystogan knew it, he was sent soaring backward when a massive shockwave erupted from the crack's core.

XXX

Naruto stared at the sight before him. Eyeing every object in the midst of the dead disaster. The shake and tilting had calmed down and Jellal was nowhere to be seen. He gazed up at the sky and saw a floating Erza in her **_Bat_ Wing Armor**. It seemed like she was watching the whole fight, what a great help she was.

A groan escaped the blonde's mouth as he moved around, itching his neck in irritation. The dried blood on his body felt so disgusting, he really needs to stop getting injured during fights, seriously.

"Naruto..."

Erza's voice touched his ears, he turned and gazed at her from the distance. The woman was now wearing her normal armor as she kept making her way closer towards him.

"You saw _him_ , right?" He narrowed his eyes.

The redhead knew what he meant. An unhearable sigh escaped her lips, how was she going to explain this?

"That... Wasn't Jellal, Naruto," She eyed him. His expression turned from a scowl into a confused frown.

"What?" He muttered loud enough for her to hear.

And so she began to explain.

...

"Oh,"

Erza watched as Naruto's face turned completely pale. She could see cold sweat coming down from the side of his head. A troubled look on his whiskered face.

Naruto moved his eyes right passed Erza and into the distance. So he had mistaken Mystogan for Jellal. Now that was something he never knew before. The two looked so identical to each other, but that wasn't the problem. Jellal was alive and kicking. The blonde made a mental note to ask Erza more for more details. Who knows? Things might be getting heated up later on.

"So, what do you think we should do now?" The redhead in front of him questioned. Her eyes gazed straight into his very soul. She seemed rather curious.

Naruto scratched his head. A really unsure look on his face.

"I donno...," He muttered aloud. Honestly, he doesn't, "Is he even alive?"

Erza looked down and cupped her chin, there was a thoughtful look on her face.

"I believe he is," She said.

Mystogan was an S class mage after all. Of course, he was still alive. To prove her point, she used **Observation Haki** and scanned their surroundings.

...

Erza froze.

It seemed like she was correct. Mystogan was indeed alive. Her eyes robotically turned to the side where a massive rock stood. Just behind that rock, the devil was there. If she paid close enough attention, Erza could hear faint sounds of painful groan. It seemed like Mystogan was trying to hide his presence. Poor guy.

"Hm? What are you looking at?" Naruto voiced his curiosity as he noticed her staring.

Jerking back. The young lady panicked.

"N-Nothing!" She shrieked.

A doubtful glint flashed across Naruto's eyes. There was definitely something going on... Well, whatever. He thought back to Mystogan. The blonde felt kind guilty, the dude was probably minding his own business until he popped up out of nowhere and turned everything upside down.

...

Ah, who cared. There was no point in getting worked up about spilled milk after all. He was sure that Mystogan will understand...

!

He nearly forgot about something.

"By the way, Erza,"

The redhead looked up at him. An eyebrow was raised in wonder.

"What about the job? We didn't even finish it...," He muttered.

Erza smiled, it seemed like he didn't forget.

"Do not worry about it, I've already finished it long ago,"

Looking at her, Naruto couldn't help but frown. She finished? Since when? Cracking his neck, he turned and look at the setting sun. The sky was turning dark and he could see stars from above.

"Then, wanna head back?" He questioned.

Erza flashed a small smile. She agreed.

XXX

Mystogan let out a heavy gasp as his body loosened. It seemed like the two had left the location, leaving him all by himself. Though, he was lucky that Erza didn't reveal his location. He was very grateful for that. Who knows what would happen if the blonde had found out, and besides. He couldn't think he could take another one of Naruto's punch. His ribcage was already broken from just that one attack, and now it was near impossible to breathe.

Well, consider himself lucky. Naruto won't be after his ass anymore. Mystogan didn't know what his blonde guild mate's beef with Jellal was, but he knew that things will be getting out of hand from now on.

...

Now then... He needed to get back to Porlyusica as soon as possible.

It was going to be a long and painful road.

XXX

"What?!"

Erza Scarlet shouted from the top of her lungs as she received news from the third master of Fairy Tail. Makarov was sitting on the counter with a mug of beer in his midget hand. There was a serious frown on his face. He closed his eyes and took a sip.

"You heard me," He said, calm and steady.

Erza gritted her teeth. She and Naruto just got back from their mission not very long ago, everything was going perfectly fine until she found out that Natsu had committed an unforgivable crime.

He stole an S class mission!

And took Lucy with him no less!

"By the way, if you didn't know," Wakaba said from the side, cigarette in his mouth, "Gray went after them," He added.

"!"

That was when the members of Fairy Tail who were listening to the conversation backed away as they felt a murderous aura swarming around Erza.

Naruto observed the ongoing scene with a plain expression on his face. So Natsu had finally done it. The blonde was sure that one day the pink haired boy would do this. Shaking his head, he was one hundred percent sure that Erza was going to go after them... Well, not that it was any of his business. His eyes glided towards his side to where Mirajane was. The barmaid was looking at him with a small frown on her face, silently telling him to go after the youngsters.

Of course, he instantly replied with a 'Are you kidding me?' look before turning away and sat himself down on one of the tables.

"You're not going with her?" Nab Lasaro asked with eyes of curiosity, making the blonde look at him in annoyance.

"I don't see the point, she's an S class mage. Things like this are piss easy for her," He muttered under his breath, leaning a little bit closer to the table.

Naruto raised an eyebrow when he noticed Erza glancing at him from the corner of her eyes, there was a slight disappointment look in them. It seemed like she realized that he wasn't coming along. Well, it doesn't matter. He flashed a thumb up at her and mouthed.

'I'll leave everything to you,'

A lot of people in the guild saw this action and instantly went deadpan. They slowly turned towards Erza, who was now gaping at her blonde friend in surprise. Then suddenly, a small and proud smile flashed across her cherry face before nodding her head.

"Master," The redhead called, catching the midget's attention, "I will be leaving now, please keep everything in order while I am gone,"

Makarov blinked, "Uh, yeah...,"

Before anyone could say any else, the young lady stormed out of the guild, leaving everyone in her dust.

"..."

They turned to Naruto.

 _Really?_

Meanwhile, The blonde was staring at the spot where Erza just was before getting up and dropped himself down at the counter.

"Hey Mira, can I get some udon?"

XXX

Well, this chapter was supposed to be in chapter 9 but whatever. I'm going to skip ahead to Phantom arc. (OAO) Maybe i'll add Naruto's interaction with the guild along the way.

HUGE THANKs FOR **Fuyuriku**. That guy/girl's a Hero, thanks for pointing out the mistakes man.


End file.
